Strange, Surprising Adventures. Illustrations by Ted
Burn.
Truth and fiction come together in the exploration of one tiny
island whose storied past inspired one of the world's first real
novels.
Daniel Defoe's classic novel
Robinson Crusoe was first published in
1719. Since then, more than 700 versions and translations of the
book have described the adventures of a shipwrecked English sailor,
marooned on an island along with his Man Friday. After the Bible,
Crusoe is said to be the world's most widely read book.
The primary source for Defoe's adventure is the true-life story of
Scottish sailor/pirate
Alexander Selkirk, who after becoming
stranded, lived in complete isolation on a small volcanic island
off the coast of what is now
Chile. Clothing himself in goatskins
and surviving off the island's abundant seafood, wild game, and
vegetables, he was finally rescued four years later and was
described as looking like "a hairy ape."
I've come here to
Robinson Crusoe Island, about 400 miles from
civilization, to see if anything still remains of this peculiar
literary heritage.
Just getting to the island is a small adventure in itself. It isn't
what one would consider easy, by any stretch. You have to take a
small plane from
Santiago, fly three hours over open ocean,
eventually land on a postage-stamp-size runway, walk two kilometers
along a gravel road to a pier, and then get on a fishing boat for
another two-hour trip around to the opposite side of the island
before you even arrive at the main village. During the rainy
season, there are few visitors; planes can't navigate the weather.