Daniel DefoeDaniel defoe was born in 1660, in london, and became initially christened daniel foe, converting his name across the age of thirty-five to sound greater aristocratic. Like his man or woman robinson crusoe, defoe become a third child. His mother and fther, james and mary foe, had been presbyterian dissenters. James foe was wax and candle merchant. As a boy, daniel witnessed two of the greatest disasters of the seventeenth century: a recurrence of the plague and the extremely good fireplace of london in 1666. Those events may additionally have shaped his fascination with catastrophes and survival in his writing. Read More Read Less