What did Robinson Crusoe name the island where he lived? Interesting facts Describe the island where Robinson Crusoe was

It became an instant bestseller and marked the beginning of a classic English novel. The author's work gave impetus to a new literary movement and cinema, and the name Robinson Crusoe became a household name. Despite the fact that Defoe’s manuscript is saturated with philosophical reasoning from cover to cover, it has firmly established itself among young readers: “The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” is usually classified as children’s literature, although adult lovers of non-trivial plots are ready to plunge into unprecedented adventures on desert island along with the main character.

History of creation

Writer Daniel Defoe immortalized his own name by publishing the philosophical adventure novel Robinson Crusoe in 1719. Although the writer wrote more than one book, it was the work about the unfortunate traveler that firmly ingrained itself in the consciousness of the literary world. Few people know that Daniel not only pleased the regulars of bookstores, but also introduced the residents of Foggy Albion to such a literary genre as the novel.

The writer called his manuscript an allegory, taking as a basis philosophical teachings, prototypes of people and incredible stories. Thus, the reader not only observes the suffering and willpower of Robinson, thrown to the margins of life, but also a man who is morally reborn in communication with nature.

Defoe came up with this seminal work for a reason; the fact is that the master of words was inspired by the stories of boatswain Alexander Selkirk, who spent four years on the uninhabited island of Mas a Tierra in Pacific Ocean.

When the sailor was 27 years old, he, as part of the ship’s crew, set off on a voyage to the shores of South America. Selkirk was an obstinate and prickly man: the adventurer did not know how to keep his mouth shut and did not respect subordination, so the slightest remark from Stradling, the captain of the ship, provoked a violent conflict. One day, after another quarrel, Alexander demanded to stop the ship and land it on land.

Perhaps the boatswain wanted to intimidate his boss, but he immediately satisfied the sailor’s demands. When the ship began to approach the uninhabited island, Selkirk immediately changed his mind, but Stradling turned out to be inexorable. The sailor, who paid for his sharp tongue, spent four years in the “exclusion zone”, and then, when he managed to return to life in society, he began to walk around bars and tell stories of his adventures to local onlookers.

The island where Alexander Selkirk lived. Now called Robinson Crusoe Island

Alexander found himself on the island with a small supply of things; he had gunpowder, an axe, a gun and other accessories. Initially, the sailor suffered from loneliness, but over time he was able to adapt to the harsh realities of life. Rumor has it that, having returned to the city's cobbled streets with stone houses, the sailing enthusiast missed being on an uninhabited piece of land. Journalist Richard Steele, who loved to listen to the traveler's stories, quoted Selkirk as saying:

“I now have 800 pounds, but I will never be as happy as I was when I didn’t have a farthing to my name.”

Richard Steele published Alexander's stories in The Englishman, indirectly introducing Britain to a man who in modern times would be called . But it is possible that the newspaperman took the sayings from his own head, so whether this publication is pure truth or fiction - one can only guess.

Daniel Defoe never revealed the secrets of his own novel to the public, so hypotheses among writers continue to develop to this day. Since Alexander was an uneducated drunkard, he was not like his book incarnation in the person of Robinson Crusoe. Therefore, some researchers are inclined to believe that Henry Pitman served as the prototype.

This doctor was sent into exile in the West Indies, but did not accept his fate and, together with his fellow sufferers, escaped. It's hard to say whether luck was on Henry's side. After a shipwreck, he ended up on the uninhabited island of Salt Tortuga, although in any case everything could have ended much worse.

Other lovers of novels are inclined to believe that the writer was based on the lifestyle of a certain ship captain Richard Knox, who lived in captivity for 20 years in Sri Lanka. It should not be ruled out that Defoe reincarnated himself as Robinson Crusoe. The master of words had a busy life, he not only dipped his pen into the inkwell, but also engaged in journalism and even espionage.

Biography

Robinson Crusoe was the third son in the family and from early childhood dreamed of sea adventures. The boy's parents wished their son a happy future and did not want his life to be like a biography or. In addition, Robinson's older brother died in the war in Flanders, and the middle one went missing.

Therefore, the father saw in the main character the only support in the future. He tearfully begged his son to come to his senses and strive for the measured and calm life of an official. But the boy did not prepare for any craft, but spent his days idly, dreaming of conquering the watery expanse of the Earth.

The instructions of the head of the family briefly calmed his violent ardor, but when the young man turned 18, he collected his belongings secretly from his parents and was tempted by the free trip provided by his friend’s father. Already the first day on the ship became a harbinger of future trials: the storm that broke out awakened remorse in Robinson’s soul, which passed along with the inclement weather and was finally dispelled by alcoholic drinks.

It is worth saying that this was far from the last black streak in the life of Robinson Crusoe. The young man managed to turn from a merchant into a miserable slave of a robber ship after it was captured by Turkish corsairs, and also visited Brazil after he was rescued by a Portuguese ship. True, the conditions of rescue were harsh: the captain promised the young man freedom only after 10 years.

In Brazil, Robinson Crusoe worked tirelessly on tobacco and sugar cane plantations. The main character of the work continued to lament the instructions of his father, but the passion for adventure outweighed the quiet lifestyle, so Crusoe again got involved in adventures. Robinson's colleagues in the shop had heard enough of his stories about trips to the shores of Guinea, so it is not surprising that the planters decided to build a ship in order to secretly transport slaves to Brazil.

Transporting slaves from Africa was fraught with dangers of sea crossing and legal difficulties. Robinson participated in this illegal expedition as a ship's clerk. The ship sailed on September 1, 1659, that is, exactly eight years after his escape from home.

The prodigal son did not attach importance to the omen of fate, but in vain: the crew survived a severe storm, and the ship began to leak. Ultimately, the remaining crew members set off on a boat that capsized due to a huge shaft the size of a mountain. The exhausted Robinson turned out to be the only survivor of the team: the main character managed to get to land, where his many years of adventure began.

Plot

When Robinson Crusoe realized that he was on a desert island, he was overcome by despair and grief for his dead comrades. In addition, hats, caps and shoes thrown ashore were reminders of past events. Having overcome depression, the protagonist began to think about a way to survive in this seedy and God-forsaken place. The hero finds supplies and tools on the ship, and also builds a hut and a palisade around it.

Most necessary thing for Robinson it became a carpenter's box, which at that time he would not have exchanged for a whole ship filled with gold. Crusoe realized that he would have to stay on the uninhabited island for more than one month or even more than one year, so he began to develop the territory: Robinson sowed the fields with cereals, and tamed wild goats became a source of meat and milk.

This unfortunate traveler felt like a primitive man. Cut off from civilization, the hero had to show ingenuity and hard work: he learned to bake bread, make clothes and bake clay dishes.

Among other things, Robinson took from the ship feathers, paper, ink, a Bible, as well as a dog, a cat and a talkative parrot, which brightened up his lonely existence. In order to “at least somewhat ease his soul,” the protagonist kept a personal diary, where he wrote down both remarkable and insignificant events, for example: “It rained today.”

While exploring the island, Crusoe discovered traces of cannibal savages who travel overland and hold feasts where the main dish is human meat. One day Robinson saves a captive savage who was supposed to end up on the table of the cannibals. Crusoe teaches his new acquaintance English and calls him Friday, since on this day of the week their fateful acquaintance took place.

During the next cannibal raid, Crusoe and Friday attack the savages and rescue two more prisoners: Friday's father and the Spaniard, whose ship was wrecked.

Finally, Robinson caught his luck by the tail: a ship captured by the rebels sails to the island. The heroes of the work free the captain and help him regain control of the ship. Thus, Robinson Crusoe, after 28 years of life on a desert island, returns to the civilized world to relatives who considered him long dead. Daniel Defoe's book has a happy ending: in Lisbon, Crusoe makes profits from a Brazilian plantation, making him fabulously rich.

Robinson no longer wants to travel by sea, so he transports his wealth to England by land. There, the final test awaits him and Friday: while crossing the Pyrenees, the heroes’ path is blocked by a hungry bear and a pack of wolves, with whom they have to fight.

• The novel about a traveler who settled on a desert island has a sequel. The book “The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” was published in 1719 along with the first part of the work. True, she did not find recognition and fame among the reading public. In Russia, this novel was not published in Russian from 1935 to 1992. The third book, “The Serious Reflections of Robinson Crusoe,” has not yet been translated into Russian.
• In the film “The Life and Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” (1972), the main role went to, who shared the set with, Vladimir Marenkov and Valentin Kulik. This picture was watched by 26.3 million viewers in the USSR.

• The full title of Defoe's work is: “The Life, Extraordinary and Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a sailor from York, who lived for 28 years all alone on an uninhabited island off the coast of America near the mouth of the Orinoco River, where he was thrown by a shipwreck, during which the entire crew of the ship , besides him, died, with an account of his unexpected liberation by pirates, written by himself."
• "Robinsonade" is a new genre in adventure literature and cinema that describes the survival of a person or group of people on a desert island. The number of works filmed and written in a similar style is countless, but we can highlight popular television series, for example, “Lost,” where Terry O’Quinn, Naveen Andrews and other actors played.
• The main character from Defoe's work migrated not only to films, but also to animated works. In 2016, viewers saw the family comedy Robinson Crusoe: A Very Inhabited Island.

The older generation probably read D. Defoe’s entertaining adventure novel “Robinson Crusoe” in childhood. Well, or watched the movie... The younger generation has problems with this, but most have probably also heard about the famous novel.
All readers have probably wondered whether such a story is real, whether such an island actually exists... So who became the prototype of Robinson Crusoe, and does this island really exist?

Story.

Look at the map. About 650 km west of the coast of Chile you will see a group small islands Juan Fernandez, which are named after the Spanish explorer who discovered them in 1563. The San Fernandez group of islands includes such volcanic islands, such as Mas a Tierra (Spanish for “closer to the shore”), the island of Mas a Fuera (Spanish for “further from the shore”), and Santa Clara Island. All three islands belong to Chile. The first of them, Mas a Tierra, is the very island of Robinson Crusoe. In the 70s of the twentieth century, the island was renamed Robinson Crusoe Island.

This is a mountainous island, its highest point is Mount Yunke with an altitude of 1000m.
The island's climate is mild and oceanic. In the coldest month of the year, August average temperature air reaches +12, and in the warmest month, February – +19.

Alexander Selkirk.

It was on the island of Mas a Tierra that on February 2, 1709, two English warships, the Duke and the Duchess, landed. Several sailors and officers on a boat went to the shore and soon returned to the ship, accompanied by a man dressed in goat skins, overgrown with long hair and a thick beard. The man told the story of his unusual adventures. His name was Alexander Selkirk. He was born in 1676 in the small Scottish town of Largo. At the age of 19 he left home. Left to his own devices, he served as a sailor on ships belonging to the English navy. As a result, he was hired on a pirate ship in the crew of Captain Pickering.

In September 1703, the pirate ships set off. The squadron captured Spanish ships filled with gold off the coast of Peru, heading to Europe. Selkirk by that time was already the second mate. In May 1704, the ship was caught in a strong storm, and the crew had to anchor near the island of Mas a Tierra. The ship needed repairs, which the captain did not want to do, and because of this, a conflict arose between him and his assistant. As a result, Selkirk was marooned on an uninhabited island. They left him with the bare necessities - a gun with a supply of gunpowder and bullets, a knife, an axe, a telescope, some tobacco and a blanket.

Selkirk had a hard time at first. He spent some time in despair. But, realizing that despair is the path to death, he forced himself to get to work. “If anything saved me,” he said later, “it was work.” First of all, Selkirk built a hut.

Wandering around the island, he found many tasty and nutritious cereals and fruits that Juan Fernandez had once planted here. Over time, Selkirk managed to tame wild goats and learn to hunt sea turtles and fish.

In 1712, Selkirk finally returned to his homeland. The story he told became the basis for the later famous book by D. Defoe. The title of the book was very long: “The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a sailor from York, who lived twenty-eight years on a deserted island.”

Alexander Selkirk died on December 17, 1723, while first mate of the ship Weymouth. Selkirk's feat was immortalized - on the 100th anniversary of his death, a monument was erected to him in Largo, and in 1868, a memorial plaque was installed on the rock of the island of Mas a Tierra, on which there was an observation post from which Selkirk looked out ships.

Tourists.

Currently, any tourist who visits Robinson Crusoe Island can try to live almost the same life as the Scot Alexander Selkirk. Those who like unobtrusive educational tourism, can explore local attractions. The Juan Fernandez Islands are not for mass tourism, as planes only fly to the neighboring island. After a flight from Santiago, which lasts 3 - 3.5 hours, you will have a two-hour journey by sea along coastline by boat to the only village of the island of San Juan Bautista

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Daniel Defoe's novel "Robinson Crusoe" was not just an invention of the English writer, but was based on true history harsh survival. The prototype of Robinson Crusoe was a very real person - the Scot Alexander Selkirk, who lived on a desert island for more than 4 years. In those days, the island was called Mas a Tierra, and received its modern name in 1966, more than 200 years after the publication of the famous novel.

Robinson Crusoe Island is located at western shores South America and belongs to Chile. The distance to the mainland is more than 600 kilometers. It is one of the three islands of the Juan Fernandez archipelago and has an area of ​​47.9 sq. km. The archipelago is of volcanic origin and has a characteristic mountainous terrain. The climate here is Mediterranean, that is, there are distinct seasons of the year: moderately warm winters (when the temperature drops to +5 ºС) and hot summers.

The events that formed the basis of the famous novel took place in 1704. Alexander Selkirk served as a boatswain on the ship "Sank Port", which sailed to the shores of South America. At that time he was 27 years old. The sailor had a hot temper and constantly came into conflict with the captain of the ship. As a result of another quarrel, at the request of Selkirk himself, he was dropped off on the island of Mas a Tierra, past which the ship was sailing at that moment. It turns out that the reason for his stay on the island was not a shipwreck, as Daniel Defoe described in his work, but his obstinate character. But otherwise, the boatswain’s life on the island was in many ways similar to what the famous Englishman described in his novel.

He built himself a hut, discovered wild goats on the island, got food for himself and read the Bible so as not to go wild at all. True, she did not meet the natives or Friday there, and she lived incomparably less time. It is interesting that during the English sailor’s stay on the island, Spanish ships moored to him twice. But since Spain and England were sworn enemies at that time, Selkirk considered it best not to show himself to them. The sailor was saved by the English ship "Duke" (4 years after he landed on the island). The fact that this story is genuine is also evidenced by the fact that a Selkirk site was discovered on the island. In 2008, a British archaeological expedition reported finding the remains of a hut, a mountaintop observation post, and early 18th-century navigational instruments.

Today, just over 600 people live on Robinson Crusoe Island, who are mainly engaged in seafood production and work in the tourism business. The biggest locality An island called San Juan Bautista is located in the northern part of the island. Despite the original history, the tourism sector here is poorly developed, with only a few hundred people visiting the island per year. Absence sandy beaches And quality roads, it is not at all a “paradise climate” (about half the year) and the distance from the mainland attracts only true connoisseurs of a secluded lifestyle who want to touch the story of Robinson Crusoe. In addition to the famous character, the island is famous for another attraction. The German cruiser Dresden sank off its shores during the First World War. And today, divers are organized at its location. By the way, the name of Alexander Selkirk also went down in history. This is the name of a neighboring island within the same archipelago.

While reading the novel by the English writer Daniel Defoe "Robinson Crusoe" or watching the film of the same name, many, most likely, seriously thought about whether Robinson could exist in real life, and if so, where exactly his island was located. In fact, Robinson is not a fiction at all. Daniel Defoe's novel is based on historical fact. In the book, only the hero’s surname was changed, and Defoe moved the island where he was “imprisoned” to the mouth of the Orinoco River flowing into the Caribbean Sea in Atlantic Ocean. Describing the conditions in which Robinson had to live, Defoe took as a basis the natural conditions of the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

But where is real island Where was Robinson Crusoe? Take a look at the map. Right around 80 degrees. west longitude and 33 degrees 40' south latitude you can see a group of small islands of Juan Fernandez, which are named after the Spanish explorer who discovered them in 1563. The group of San Fernandez islands includes such volcanic islands as Mas a Tierra , the name of which is translated from Spanish as “closer to the shore”, the island of Mas a Fuera - Spanish “further from the shore”, and the island of Santa Clara. All of these islands belong to Chile. The first of them, Mas a Tierra and there is the same island of Robinson Crusoe.This is evidenced by the corresponding inscription placed on many maps - in the 70s of the twentieth century this island was renamed Robinson Crusoe Island.

Robinson Crusoe Island is the largest of all the islands that make up the Juan Fernandez archipelago, measuring 23 km long and 8 km wide, with a total area of ​​144 square meters. km. Like all the other islands of the archipelago, it is quite mountainous, its highest point being Mount Yunke, whose height is 1000 m above sea level. The climatic conditions of this area are mild, oceanic.

In the coldest month of the year, August (since the island is located in the Southern Hemisphere, which means the seasons there are opposite to the seasons of our hemisphere), the average air temperature reaches +12 degrees C, and in the warmest month, February - +19 degrees C.

The lowlands of this island are savannah, interspersed with thickets of tree ferns and palm groves. The mountainous part of the island is covered with forests, which have thinned out significantly due to human economic activity. To stop deforestation, Robinson Crusoe Island was declared a national park. Particularly severe harm was caused to nature by the uprooting of land for the construction of military structures, carried out on the basis of an agreement concluded between Chile and the United States.

The many plant species growing on the island (over 100) are unique. For example, the Chonta palm and the Nalka tree, as well as a variety of ferns and flowers that do not grow anywhere else on the planet. The island was once covered with dense sandalwood forests, but now sandalwood groves can only be found on the inaccessible peaks of only a few mountains. The island's soil is incredibly fertile, and crystal clear streams flow throughout the island.

The coastal waters of the island are vibrant with life - here you can find turtles, sea lions, lobsters, seals and a wide variety of fish. Once upon a time there were so many seals on the island that in order to land on the shore, you had to push them away with oars. Goats, whose ancestors were brought by Juan Fernandez in 1563, are also alive and well on the island.

It was on the island of Mas a Tierra that two British warships, the Duke and the Duchess, landed on February 2, 1709. After a long voyage, the team needed rest.

Robinson Crusoe Island.

Seven sailors and officers on a boat went to the shore and soon returned to the ship, accompanied by a man dressed in goat skins, overgrown with long hair and a thick beard.

The alien unsuccessfully tried to tell the captain something, but made only inarticulate sounds, somewhat reminiscent of the English language.

A long time passed before the man came to his senses and was able to tell the story of his unusual adventures. His name was Alexander Selkirk. He was born in 1676 in the small Scottish town of Largo, his father was a poor shoemaker John Selkreg. At nineteen, due to constant conflicts with his family, he changed his last name to Selkirk and left home. Finding himself left to his own devices, he served as a sailor on one or another ship belonging to the English navy. One day he heard that the famous royal pirate Dampier had begun recruiting sailors for his crew. Having recruited to him, Selkrik, however, ended up not with Dampier himself, but with the crew of the captain of another ship, Pickering.

In September 1703, the pirate ships set off. At that time, this was a typical predatory pirate voyage. One after another, the squadron captured Spanish ships full of gold and other valuables heading to Europe off the coast of Peru. Some time later, Pickering died, and his successor was Stredling, who, not getting along with Dampier, separated from him. The quick-witted Selkirk was already Captain Stradling's second assistant by that time. But in May 1704, the ship was pretty battered by a storm, and the crew had to anchor near the island of Mas a Tierra. The ship needed major repairs, which the captain did not want to do, and because of this, a conflict arose between him and his assistant. As a result, in obedience to Stredling's orders, Selkirk was landed on a deserted island. Selkirk was left with the bare essentials - a gun with a small supply of gunpowder and bullets, a knife, an axe, a telescope, some tobacco and a blanket.

Selkirk had a hard time at first. He spent some time in despair, completely indifferent to everything. But, knowing full well that despair is a sure path to death, he forced himself to get to work. “If anything saved me,” he later said, “it was work.” First of all, Selkirk began to settle down by building a hut. But what did he have to eat? Wandering around the island, he found many tasty and nutritious cereals, root vegetables and even fruits that were planted by Juan Fernandez at one time. Over time, Selkirk managed to tame wild goats and learn to hunt sea turtles and fish.

It turned out that many cats and rats live on the island. Selkirk fed the cats goat meat, and soon they got used to his presence and began to come to his hut in almost hundreds, thereby driving away the rodents. Selkirk had to make fire by friction, and sew clothes from goat skins, in which he was helped by nails that replaced sewing needles. During his stay on the island, Selkirk made himself a calendar and many other useful things.

One day a group of Spanish sailors landed on the island, but at that time England was at war with Spain, and, fearing for his life, Selkirk hid from them in a huge hollow. So, completely alone, he spent almost five years on the island, until he accidentally met English sailors. It turned out that Stradling's ship, after Selkirk was landed on the island, was caught in a storm and sank, and the surviving crew members were captured by the Spaniards.

During the time spent on the island, Selkirk did not lose his skills, so Rogers made him his assistant, and he returned to the pirate trade.

Selkirk finally returned to his homeland. In the same year, a book by Woods Rogers entitled “Fishing Voyage Around the World” was published, which briefly described the adventures of an English sailor. After some time, another book appeared: “The Intervention of Providence or extraordinary description adventures of Alexander Selkirk", written by himself.

However, Selkirk did not have writing talent, so the book was not successful among his contemporaries. And only Daniel Defoe’s novel, which appeared in 1917, brought real glory to the sailor, making him truly immortal. The title of the new book was very long: "The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a sailor from York, who lived twenty-eight years on a deserted island." Despite the fact that the novel told about the adventures of a certain Robinson, and the length of his stay on the island was increased several times, Alexander Selkirk was immediately recognizable in the book. Moreover, in the preface to the very first edition of the book, the author directly stated: “There is still among us a person whose life served as the outline for this book.”

Alexander Selkirk ended his life on December 17, 1723, as first mate of the ship Weymouth. Selkirk's feat was immortalized - on the 100th anniversary of his death, a monument was erected to him in Largo, and in 1868, a memorial plaque was installed on the rock of the island of Mas a Tierra, on which there was an observation post from which Selkirk looked out ships.

The history of the island itself is as interesting as the history of Selkirk-Robinson. It turns out that Selkirk was not the first Robinson of the island of Mas a Tierra. The first hermit was its discoverer, the navigator Juan Fernandez. After living on the island for several years, he returned to the mainland. “In memory” of him, there were goats on the island, which multiplied so much that neither all subsequent Robinsons nor modern local hunters lack goat meat and milk.

In the 20s of the XVII century. Dutch sailors lived on the island for quite a long time, and after that - from January 1680 within three For years, a black sailor lived here, the only member of the crew to survive the sinking of a merchant ship.

From 1680 to 1683 Indian William, a native of Central America, who for unknown reasons was left here by English pirates, also lived there. It is likely that it was this predecessor of Selkirk who became the prototype of Friday from Defoe’s novel. And on March 22, 1683, William was found by the crew of an English pirate ship.

The story of the fifth Robinson, or rather the Robinsons, was more than funny. In 1687, Captain Davis gave the order to land nine sailors on the island who abused the game of dice. Having everything they needed for a comfortable life, they spent almost all their time playing their favorite game. And since money on the uninhabited island had absolutely no value, gambling sailors divided the island into sections and gambled on the land. Periodically, the Spaniards landed on the island, each time trying in vain to catch the players. The comfortable life of the sailors lasted three years, and after 14 years its main “hero” Alexander Selkirk was landed on the island.

The kaleidoscope of Robinsons did not dry out even after the liberation of Selkirk. For quite a long time the island was a haven for pirates. A small colony was founded by the Spaniards in 1715, but it was soon destroyed by an earthquake.

Later, in 1719, deserters who escaped from an English frigate lived for some time on the island of Mas a Tierra. A year later, the island was settled by the British - members of the crew of the sunken ship Speedwell. Some sailors sailed away on a boat they had built from scrap materials, and those who remained soon died defending themselves from attacks by the Spaniards.

The island changed hands several times - for example, in 1750 a Spanish fortress was built here, which later began to serve as a prison for holding Chilean independence fighters. Later, after an earthquake that destroyed the fortress, the island was again depopulated for a long time.

In 1855, another settlement of colonists who arrived from Chile was created on the island. The settlers were engaged in peaceful activities - farming, fishing and cattle breeding, and even built a canning factory on the island. Some time later, at the end of the 19th century, the Chilean government leased famous island. The tenant, Swiss businessman Baron de Rodt, organized lobster fishing on the island, which since then has become the main occupation of the island's population.

The turbulent twentieth century, marked by world wars, also affected this tiny piece of land, lost in the ocean. During the First World War, in 1915, the German cruiser Dresden was sunk by the English fleet off the coast of the island. During World War II, Japanese and German submarines and light cruisers were sometimes hidden near the island of Mas a Tierra.

An American company built a hotel for tourists on the island, betting on the glory of Robinson Island. The company also produces postcards with views of the island depicted on them. The most popular among tourists is the cave in which Selkirk allegedly lived, and his observation hill, from where he examined the ocean.

Today, about 500 people permanently live on the island of Mas a Tierra, in its only village, San Juan Bautista, located here. Many of the island's inhabitants are named Robinson, Friday and Daniel.

Despite the fact that the island is essentially lost in the ocean, its residents can use both telephone and telegraph communications with the mainland. Each of the houses on the island has both a TV and a radio. But, nevertheless, the island remains quite isolated. A ship with goods arrives here only once a year, although the island has good air connections.

However, in winter, the island of Mas a Tierra remains completely isolated from the rest of the world - neither ships nor planes reach here. And at other times of the year, not so many tourists arrive on the island, and the island’s residents rarely go to the mainland, primarily because high price such a trip.

Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Island

So, at the heart of Daniel Defoe's novel is a real-life incident. But this does not mean that everything in the book is true. Using the right of a writer to compose a work of art, the author changed a lot and came up with a lot himself.

To begin with, he moved the ill-fated uninhabited island as much as 5 thousand kilometers. He placed his hero on an island located in the Atlantic Ocean near the mouth of the Orinoco River and named Tobago, although it is well known that the island on which Selkirk lived is located in the Pacific Ocean and is called Mas a Tierra. It is part of the Juan Fernandez Islands group, 600 kilometers off the coast of Chile. And the climate there is much worse than in the fictional Tobago. And then, the real Robinson, that is, Alexander Selkirk, spent on a desert island not 28 years, as is clear from the novel, but a little more than four. Selkirk and Friday didn’t have it either. The author invented this character solely to make the plot of the novel more complex and interesting. And even more so Selkirk could not see the cannibals.

In reality everything was different.

Selkirk was born in 1676 in Scotland, the son of a rural shoemaker. At the age of 19, he left home and took a job on a warship in one of the seaports. He took part in naval battles several times. Then he ended up on the Cinque Porte galley, which in the spring of 1703, together with the frigate St. George, at the secret command of the Queen, set off on a pirate raid to the shores of South America. The expedition was commanded by a famous pirate leader and navigator (he made three circumnavigation of the world) William Dampier.

Once - this was already in 1704 - when the Cinque Porte landed on the island of Mas a Tierra, a major quarrel arose between the galley captain Streidling and Alexander Selkirk, who by that time had risen to the officer position of quartermaster. The captain accused his assistant of theft. Selkirk responded by saying that he no longer wanted to sail with the tyrant captain - it was better to be left alone on this godforsaken island. Captain Streidling was indeed a heavy and hot-tempered man. Suffice it to say that shortly before this he quarreled with Dhampir and separated from him. Taking Selkirk at his word, Straidling immediately ordered him to be landed on the island.

The quartermaster received a flintlock gun, a small supply of gunpowder and bullets, an axe, a knife, a bowler hat, tobacco, some clothes and a Bible. He had to get everything else for himself.

Selkirk's landing on a desert island can be regarded in two ways: as punishment and at the same time as salvation. And that's why. Less than a month had passed when the Cinque Porte struck the rocks of one of the Mapella islands during a storm and sank. The crew of the galley barely managed to reach the deserted island, where inevitable death awaited them. A few days later, a Spanish warship approached the island and removed the victims. But he took it off not to provide assistance, but to send it to Lima, where the pirates were shackled and thrown into prison. That's when, I think, Streidling and his subordinates envied Selkirk!

What about Selkirk? For some time he still waited for Streidling to come to his senses and come back for him. But he did not even think about returning, he was in a hurry to get to the Spanish gold as quickly as possible. Without waiting for Streidling, Selkirk initially lost heart. But not for long. Deciding that he still needs to live somehow, that despair will not lead to anything good, he gets to work, because only work, he reasoned, can distract him from gloomy thoughts. “If anything saved me,” the hermit Mas a Tierra later recalled, “it was work.”

Selkirk began by exploring his island. And after examining it, I came to the conclusion that Mas a Tierra is a completely suitable place to live. Many edible roots, grains and even some fruits grew on it. Coastal waters turned out to be rich in fish and turtles. There were also wild goats, cats and rats on the island.

And Selkirk begins to work. He begins by choosing a suitable place and builds a comfortable hut. Then another one, which became a kitchen. Having acquired housing, he began making household items from wood. He made a calendar on which he made a mark every day. When the clothes became thin, he sewed new ones from goat skins. The needle he used was a nail specially adapted for this purpose. He hunted goats and turtles a lot, storing meat for future use.

Once, while chasing a goat, Selkirk fell from a high steep cliff after the animal. He remained alive only thanks to the goat, which he fell on and thereby softened the blow. And yet this fall did not pass without a trace - Alexander lay under the rock without memory for three days and rested in his hut for another ten days.

When Selkirk had some food supplies, rats began to come into the hut. They ate Selkirk until he came up with the idea of ​​luring wild cats to the hut with goat meat. Soon the cats began to come to the sailor in dozens. After this, the rats were forced to forget the way to Selkirk’s home.

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One day a Spanish ship dropped anchor near the island, and part of its crew went ashore. No matter how difficult it was for Selkirk, he did not succumb to the temptation to ask the Spaniards for help, but hastened to hide away from them. He knew well how harshly the Spaniards treated English pirates.

This is how Alexander Selkirk lived alone on his island in constant work, worries and worries for more than four years.

On February 2, 1709, the English ships Duke and Dutchies landed in Mas a Tierra. A boat with an officer and sailors was sent to the island on which smoke from the fire was noticed. Eight people went ashore and nine returned. The ninth was a frightening-looking man, dressed in goat skins and covered in long, unkempt hair. He had difficulty expressing himself in a language vaguely similar to English. It was Alexander Selkirk. During the time spent on the island, he forgot how to speak and forgot his native language.

By the way, it will be said that “Duke” and “Dutchies” were engaged in the same business as previously “Sink Porte” - privatization, that is, piracy legalized by the queen herself, for which a special patent was issued.

Unofficially, the privateers were called “royal pirates.”

After three years of sailing, the Duke returned to England, and a book by her captain, Rogers, entitled A Voyage Around the World, was immediately published. This book, along with a description of the many strange lands that Rogers saw, told about Mas a Tierra and its “master” Alexander Selkirk. And soon Selkirk himself published a book with the title characteristic of those times, “The Intervention of Providence, or a Description of the Extraordinary Adventures of Alexander Selkirk, Written by His Own Hand.”

There was no writer from Selkirk. His book, despite its intriguing title and entertaining plot, went unnoticed by readers. But Daniel Defoe became interested in the fate of the Masatierran hermit. He met Selkirk, met with him more than once, and asked him for a long time about life on the island. And in 1719, Daniel Defoe’s novel “The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” appeared in bookstores in England. Defoe's book immediately became extremely popular among the reading public and brought worldwide fame to both its creator and Alexander Selkirk.

Selkirk died on December 17, 1723 while sailing off the coast of Africa on the warship Weymouth, on which he served as first mate. It seems that Selkirk managed to read the novel by Daniel Defoe.

When talking about the prototype of Robinson Crusoe, the author deliberately omitted one important detail. The fact is that, having visited the island on the eve of his skirmish with Captain Streidling, Selkirk found traces of human presence there and decided that the island was inhabited. That's why he agreed to stay on Mas a Tierra with such ease.

However, Selkirk was wrong. He actually saw traces of human presence on the island: primitive metal products, piles of stones that looked like walls, and the like. Yes, there were people on the island. And a lot. But Selkirk could not know one thing: all the people were there long before him. And all of them, like him, were also Robinsons.

The first “owner” of the island was, apparently, Juan Fernandez himself, after whom the archipelago was subsequently named. He lived in complete solitude on Mas a Tierra for several years. He earned food by fishing and raising goats. Returning to the mainland, he naturally left the goats on the island. Over time, the goats multiplied and became wild. Thanks to this, all subsequent hermits of the island of Mas a Tierra were provided with meat, milk and skins. To this day, the local population of the island hunts wild goats.

In the 20s of the 17th century, people lived on the island for a long time castaways Dutch sailors. The Dutch were replaced by a black sailor who miraculously managed to escape from a merchant ship that sank near the island. Information about these Robinsons is very scarce. Much more is known about the next Robinson, an Indian from the Mosquito Coast in Central America named William.

At the beginning of 1681, the poor fellow was hastily “forgotten” on the island by English pirates under the command of Walting and Sharap. This happened during the hasty flight of the gentlemen of fortune at the sight of Spanish warships appearing on the horizon. That day, William had the misfortune of hunting goats with several sailors sent ashore to stock up on provisions. When the overly carried away Indian returned to the shore, the sails of his ship were already visible far out to sea.

Unlike Selkirk, William remained on the island with only what he had with him during the hunt. A gun, a pinch of gunpowder, a few bullets, a knife - that's all William had. And yet he managed to survive. As an Indian, he was more adapted to life in primitive conditions than the whites. And then he was very lucky that his knife was made of unusually hard steel. When, after a few days, the meager supply of gunpowder and bullets ran out, William adapted himself to cutting off pieces of iron from the barrel of a gun that had become unnecessary with his knife and making knives, needles and fishhooks from them. He leveled, bent and sharpened all this with stones, then heated it over fire and hardened it in water. Fire was produced by striking the metal parts of the gun with a gun flint. Fishing line for fishing cut from the skins of killed seals, which quite often appeared on the coast of the island. In order to have a permanent shelter from bad weather near the sea, William built a hut from goat skins on the shore. Usually he lived far from the shore in a cave. Brushwood and dry seaweed served as his bed.

When the clothes became unusable, he, like Selkirk, learned to sew them from goat skins.

William lived on Mas a Tierra for just over three years. For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that he had previously had the opportunity to leave the ill-fated island. Having somehow discovered that there was an English pirate on Mas a Tierra, the Spaniards molested the island several times. But William, knowing well what awaited him if he met the Spaniards, each time hid from them in the impassable thickets of the forest.

William was picked up by the people of the pirate Dampir, already familiar to us. His ships Becheles Delight and Nicholas landed on the island on March 22, 1684 to replenish supplies. fresh water and food. The meeting was unusually cordial: there were many people on Dampier's ships who knew William well.

Dampier told the world about William Robinson in his well-known book “A New Voyage Around the World,” published in 1697 in London. It is possible that it was William who inspired Daniel Defoe to create the image of the Indian Friday in the novel “The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.”

The next, fifth, pre-Selkirk Robinsonade was not, unlike the previous ones, so difficult and painful. Rather, on the contrary...

In 1687, by order of the captain of the English pirate ship "Becheles De-light" Edward Davis, five sailors were landed on Mas a Tierra. The reason for such a severe punishment was the excessive passion of these sailors for playing dice. Thanks to the fact that Davis left the offenders with everything they needed to live on a desert island, they ended up with too much free time. The only thing missing was money. However, the newly-minted Robinsons did not lose heart. They immediately divided the island into five equal parts and sat down to the bones again. Now they were playing for their possessions. We played every day. True, they had to interrupt the game several times, but they did this due to the fault of the same Spaniards, who from time to time landed on the island to get fresh water and at the same time catch English pirates. However, each time the British managed to escape - although they were carried away by the game, they regularly monitored the horizon.

When Davis's ship returned to the island three years and nine months later, the sailors sent ashore saw the same familiar picture: five penal prisoners were playing dice with abandon. They were so passionate about this activity that they almost had to be dragged onto the ship by force.

And 14 years later, Alexander Selkirk appeared on the island...

But the story of the Robinsonades on Mas a Tierra did not end in Selkirk. The Spaniards settled there in 1715, but soon their tiny colony was destroyed by an earthquake. In 1719, deserters from an English frigate found temporary refuge on the island. In 1720, the island became a haven for the crew of the English ship Speedwell, which sank off the coast of the island during a storm. Subsequently, some of the Speeduel sailors managed to escape on the boat they had built, while others died in a battle with the Spaniards who attacked the island.

So the island of Mas a Tierra can rightfully be called the island of Robinsons. However, not so long ago the Chilean government renamed the island of Mas a Tierra to Alexander Selkirk Island, and Mas a Fuera, another island of the Juan Fernandez archipelago, to Robinson Crusoe Island. And even earlier, in 1823, a monument to Alexander Selkirk was built on Mas a Tierra. In 1863, in his honor, the crew of one of the English ships installed a memorial plaque on the island: “... in memory of Alexander Selkirk, who lived on the island completely alone for four years and four months.”

Nowadays, about 400 people live on the island. All of them, of course, have heard about the English sailor who once lived on their island and, of course, are proud of their famous, so to speak, fellow countryman, about whom even a book has been written.

However, not everyone has read the book: most of the islanders are illiterate. Travelers and tourists rarely visit Alexander Selkirk Island: it is too remote from tourist routes.

More fortunate in this sense was the island of Tobago, located on the other side of the American continent, on which, according to the imagination of Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe was settled. There is a hotel and restaurant there with the enticing name “At the Real Robinson's”. In the restaurant, helpful waiters will certainly offer the visitor exotic dishes “a la Crusoe”. There is also an airfield on the island serving tourists from the USA and Latin American countries.

Robinson Crusoe Island

Robinson Crusoe Island is located in the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and is part of the Juan Fernandez archipelago, which in turn belongs to Chile. But 674 km west of its shores is located Robinson Crusoe Island, which until 1966 was called Mas a Tierra, which means “the island closest to the land.”

History of the name

In 1704, Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was left alone on the island of Mas a Tierra. He lived on it for 1464 days. The island has always attracted people and even groups of people who wanted to isolate themselves from society and some of them lived even longer than Selkirk. But it was he who attracted the attention of writer Daniel Defoe. The story of the Scot formed the basis of the book “Robinson Crusoe”, and the island was renamed in honor of the main character.

Today Robinson is an almost real hero, the image is so tightly intertwined with the life of Alexander Selkrik that today they are perceived as one character. Tourists come to Mas a Tierra to visit the legendary island and “assess the situation” with their own eyes.

General information

The island was formed as a result of volcanic activity, which also influenced the mountainous terrain, which was also affected by strong winds.

The most high point The island is Mount El Yunque, whose height is 916 meters.

In the footsteps of Robinson Crusoe

The climate of Robinson Crusoe was defined as Mediterranean, while in different parts of the island the weather can differ significantly. Divides the land mountain range, on the eastern side of which the climate is warm, and on the western side it is cold, dry and deserted.

Mas a Tierra has just over 600 inhabitants and most of of them is concentrated in the central part of the island, on the shore of the bay. The climate there is the most favorable for life, and the proximity to the water gives access to seafood. Today, the main activity of the population is lobster fishing for export and tourism services.

It's amazing that on this small island with a population of only a few hundred inhabitants, it has its own brewery, which arouses considerable interest among travelers.

In a remote part of the island, which is not connected to the main part by land roads, there is an airfield. It can only accommodate light aircraft. Despite the clear schedule of flights between Santiago, Valparaiso and the island, the dispatcher often cancels or delays flights because weather on Robinson Crusoe unpredictable and flight on the lungs aircraft becomes impossible. The flight from Chile to Mas a Tierra takes about two to two and a half hours. If the pilot is forced to circle around the island before landing, the flight time can increase to three hours.

Tourism on the island

The history of the island is no less interesting than its present, especially since some facts have also made a significant contribution to the development of tourism. Thus, Mas a Tierra has long been a haven for pirates. They rested on the island, repaired ships after battles and a long voyage, and replenished supplies of food and fresh water. Of course, a large concentration of pirates brought some changes to the life of coastal Chilean cities. Therefore, the Spaniards decided to drive away the sea robbers and they acted decisively. In 1749, a fort with 15 cannons was built on the island. It, along with the weapon, has survived to this day. Today, tourists visit the fortress with curiosity and imagine how desperate pirates were fired from these cannons.

Another interesting event that occurred off the coast of the island happened in 1915 on March 14. When the German cruiser Dresden engaged two British cruisers and lost. Today, tourists have the opportunity to dive into the depths with scuba gear and explore Dresden on their own. What makes it even more legendary is the fact that at the time of the battle, the future leader of the Abwehr of the Third Reich, Admiral Canaris, served on it with the rank of lieutenant. He was executed after World War II.

Despite the fact that the shores of the island are washed by the Pacific Ocean, beach holiday there is absolutely no development here. Due to lack sandy beaches Not everyone dares to swim near the shores of Robinson Crusoe. Therefore, the main goal of tourists who visit the island is to touch the already legendary story of Selkirk and his prototype Robinson Crusoe, as well as to see the historical legacy of the era of pirates and the First World War.

Tourists should note that there are practically no paved roads on the island. Basically, they are laid to the city, where most of the population lives and to attractions, and this was done for the development of tourism.

Where is Robinson Crusoe Island?

Robinson Crusoe Island is quite easy to find on the map, since it is located almost opposite Santiago. 674 km from the coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean, and 150 km from the nearby island called Alexander Selkirk.

Robinson Crusoe Island Geographical coordinates archipelago: 800 west longitude and 33040" south latitude. The archipelago is named after the Spanish navigator who discovered it in 1563. Once upon a time, the two largest of the islands were called Mas a Tierra (Closer to the Land) and Mas a Fuera ( Further from the earth. The third is named Santa Clara. The length of Mas a Tierra is about 20 kilometers and the width is about 5 kilometers. Natural conditions The islands of the Juan Fernandez archipelago are of volcanic origin. They are covered with mountains. Most high peak islands is Mount Yunke - 1000 meters above sea level.
The soil is fertile. Lots of streams. All three islands of the archipelago are covered with forests and are national parks, due to the presence of many rare plants on the islands - more than 100 species (such as giant prehistoric fern, giant daisy, Chonta palm, Nalka tree) and birds. Fragrant sandalwood trees grow on the mountain tops.
The famous feral goats are still found in some parts of Robinson Crusoe Island. The waters around the islands are rich in sea turtles, sea lions, lobsters, fish and seals. The climate in this area is mild oceanic, with pleasant temperatures, moderate humidity and little difference between the seasons. In August, the coldest month of the year, the average air temperature is +12 degrees, and in February, the warmest, +19oC. About 300 - 400 mm of precipitation falls annually. A little history: from Robinson Crusoe to the present day, the Pacific archipelago of Juan Fernandez was located away from the routes of merchant and warships, so throughout the 17th century it was a haven for pirates. "Robinsons" are quite common here. The very first involuntary hermit on the islands was their discoverer Juan Fernandez.
He had to live here for several years, and he began to raise goats on the island. Over time, the goats he left went wild, multiplied and provided food and clothing for all subsequent unwitting inhabitants of the desert island. For more than three years from 1680, an Indian from the Miskitos tribe from Central America lived on the island, “forgotten” here by pirates. Nine sailors were landed on the same island in 1687 for gambling with dice on a ship. Provided with the necessary supplies, they did not change their habit: the sailors played almost all their time, first for money, and then for various parts of the island. Three years passed like this. And only in 1703, Alexander Selkirk, a 26-year-old Scottish sailor who served as a boatswain on the Senk Port galley, appeared on Mas a Tierra, who quarreled with the captain and went ashore “of his own free will.” This is exactly what is written in the ship's log. Selkirk was landed on an uninhabited island included in the Juan Fernandez archipelago, where he spent more than four years in complete solitude. It was his story that served as a source of inspiration for Daniel Defoe, and he wrote a wonderful book with long name: "The life and amazing adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a sailor from York, who lived twenty-eight years all alone on an uninhabited island off the coast of America near the mouth of the Orinoco River, where he was thrown by a shipwreck, during which the entire crew of the ship, except him, died, with an account of his unexpected liberation by pirates, written by himself."

The book brought worldwide fame not only to its author Daniel Defoe, the prototype of the main character Alexander Selkirk, but also to the archipelago itself.
HERE ARE USEFUL: Alexander Selkirk's Cave
A site in the wilds from which the Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk (the prototype of Robinson Crusoe) looked out for some rescue ship. It is located at an altitude of 550 m above sea level. There is a memorial plaque on it in honor of Robinson. A few months ago, Scottish sailors who visited the island erected a small monument to their fellow countryman in the neighborhood.
Spanish Fort Santa Barbara, which served in 1749 to repel pirate attacks. (By the way, evidence that pirates once liked the secluded archipelago is that treasures and pirate household items are still often found there)
The place where, during the First World War in 1915, the German battleship Dresden was sunk by the English ships Orama, Glasgow and Kent.
Various military relics: Spanish cannons, cannonballs, Chilean naval regalia of the war with Peru in 1879.


the ship crashed and sank, the entire crew died, Robinson Crusoe built his first home from the wreckage of the ship and made some supplies, the next storm scattered the remains of the ship completely, such things... read more carefully!

probably for mushrooms...

He was re-educated there. In a Rousseauian and humanistic spirit.

Taking into account the pamphlets of Swift and all sorts of “Simplicissimus”, the humanists of the 18th century saw the said islands as an earthly and social paradise, in comparison with Europe...

Robinson's life is filled with new - and pleasant - concerns. Friday, as he called the rescued man, turned out to be a capable student, a faithful and kind comrade. Robinson bases his education on three words: “Mr.” (meaning himself), “yes” and “no.” He eradicates bad savage habits, teaching Friday to eat broth and wear clothes, as well as “to know the true god” (before this, Friday worshiped “an old man named Bunamuki who lives high”). Mastering English language. Friday says that his fellow tribesmen live on the mainland with seventeen survivors lost ship Spaniards. Robinson decides to build a new pirogue and, together with Friday, rescue the prisoners. The new arrival of savages disrupts their plans. This time the cannibals bring a Spaniard and an old man, who turns out to be Friday's father. Robinson and Friday, who are no worse at handling a gun than their master, free them. The idea of ​​everyone gathering on the island, building a reliable ship and trying their luck at sea appeals to the Spaniard. In the meantime, a new plot is being sown, goats are being caught - a considerable replenishment is expected. Having taken an oath from the Spaniard not to surrender him to the Inquisition, Robinson sends him with Friday's father to the mainland. And on the eighth day new guests arrive on the island. A mutinous crew from an English ship brings the captain, mate and passenger to massacre. Robinson can't miss this chance. Taking advantage of the fact that he knows every path here, he frees the captain and his fellow sufferers, and the five of them deal with the villains. The only condition that Robinson sets is to deliver him and Friday to England. The riot is pacified, two notorious scoundrels hang on the yardarm, three more are left on the island, humanely provided with everything necessary; but more valuable than provisions, tools and weapons is the experience of survival itself, which Robinson shares with the new settlers, there will be five of them in total - two more will escape from the ship, not really trusting the captain’s forgiveness.

Robinson's twenty-eight-year odyssey ended: on June 11, 1686, he returned to England. His parents died long ago, but a good friend, the widow of his first captain, is still alive. In Lisbon, he learns that all these years his Brazilian plantation was managed by an official from the treasury, and since it now turns out that he is alive, all the income for this period is returned to him. A wealthy man, he takes two nephews into his care, and trains the second to become a sailor. Finally, Robinson marries (he is sixty-one years old) “not without profit and quite successfully in all respects.” He has two sons and a daughter.