John Bunyan

John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher. He attended school until the age of sixteen before joining the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War. After his service, he married and became a preacher with theBedford Meeting, a nonconformist Christian group. Following the restoration of King Charles II to the English throne, Bunyan was imprisoned for his preaching and remained in jail for the next twelve years. While in custody, he wrote his spiritual autobiography Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners and his most famous work, The Pilgrim's Progress, a Christian allegory that has become one of the most popular and frequently published books in the English literary history. He was imprisoned once more toward the end of his life, and died on a trip to London after a brief illness. Bunyan is remembered today as an important literary and religious figure, and is honored with festivals and services by the Church of England, the United States Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Church of Australia.