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Selkirk's Island: The True and Strange Adventures of the Real Robinson Crusoe
The acclaimed author of The Trials of Radclyffe Hall offers a fascinating account of the life and experiences of Alexander Selkirk, whose adventures and solitary struggle for survival after being marooned on a desert island inspired Daniel Defoe's classic novel Robinson Crusoe. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.
246 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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544 people want to read
About the author
Diana Souhami
21 books72 followersDiana Souhami was brought up in London and studied philosophy at Hull University. She worked in the publications department of the BBC before turning to biography. In 1986 she was approached by Pandora Press and received a commission to write a biography of Hannah Gluckstein. Souhami became a full-time writer publishing biographies which mostly explore the most influential and intriguing of 20th century lesbian and gay lives.
She is the author of 12 critically acclaimed nonfiction and biography books, including Selkirk’s Island (winner of the Whitbread Biography Award), The Trials of Radclyffe Hall (winner of the Lambda Literary Award and shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize for Biography), the bestselling Mrs. Keppel and Her Daughter (winner of the Lambda Literary Award and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year), Gertrude and Alice, and Wild Girls: Paris, Sappho, and Art. She lives in London.
She is the author of 12 critically acclaimed nonfiction and biography books, including Selkirk’s Island (winner of the Whitbread Biography Award), The Trials of Radclyffe Hall (winner of the Lambda Literary Award and shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize for Biography), the bestselling Mrs. Keppel and Her Daughter (winner of the Lambda Literary Award and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year), Gertrude and Alice, and Wild Girls: Paris, Sappho, and Art. She lives in London.
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July 2, 2017Although this book won a prize, and despite it being nicely enough written, plainly not a bad-bad book, I would recommend freely for all those who will live as long as the sun and who during the course of those ages of time might be marooned on an island whether off the coast of Chile or elsewhere with nothing else to read.
To say the same but differently it felt like reading a series of interlinked and overlapping webs, at the centre of each was not a Spider, but a hole. Around which Souhami wrote, perhaps in a mid Atlantic style, 'garbage' used a few pages before ' toffs', rather as though her vocabulary was that of a marooned person obliged to make use of such words as washed up on the shores of her island for the want of a native idiom.
Souhami spent some time living on the island where Alexander Selkirk was marooned, but this is not a travel book, Selkirk's story may have been the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe but this is not a book about the book Robinson Crusoe nor Daniel Defoe, neither can Selkirk bear the weight of a book, he wrote no account of his own life, some court summons and the legal argument between his widows over his estate, in addition to the printed accounts which mention him - these curiously sketchy because perhaps the life of a man abandoned on an island for four years, four months is actually not that interesting, this is a slight problem for Souhami, she tries to make up for this by asserting that he had sex with the goats of the island, I'm not sure that an author's belief that the subject of her book possibly, probably, definitely, may have had, sexual relations with that population of goats is enough to sustain a two hundred page book .
Nor does Souhami branch out to write a life and times or the book of the piratical World of Alexander Selkirk, cruelly marooned for the time of four years and four months by his Captain in contravention of the articles of the company, chased once by the Spaniards and eventually rescued by an English expedition to the South Seas in search of stuff they could steal from the Spanish, etc.
Although this last she comes close to, the pirate William Dampier is centre stage for much of the book, a great sailor, and talker, he chatted his way to various gentlemen to reach their hands into their silken purses to fund the purchase and outfitting of ships to sail under Letters of Marque (this being the time of the War of the Spanish Succession) with the firm intention of as I mentioned above, of stealing stuff from the Spanish. Dampier, despite his qualities lacked a certain something necessary to be a pirate, since he avoided on several occasions fighting and engaging against Spanish ships in armed conflict, though this might suggest certain sensible notions on his part as his crews were exhausted, sickly and scurvaceous after their voyages from England. But always to lure the next investor, not the story of needing the assistance of your bank account details to liberate great piles of US dollars from Nigeria but of the Manila Galleon loaded with upwards of Twenty Million Pounds (in Queen Anne Pounds, not modern ones) of goods, ripe to be plucked by black hearted sea dogges, aye and avast me hearties! Inevitably when they do get a Manila Galleon and its goods are auctioned off the value is far, far, lower, but rather like Brexit the fantasy of incredible riches, just out there, in the deserted and empty south Seas, ripe for the plucking, doesn't go away. However, Dampier in his will leaves only unsettled debts. Just as migrants are central to the economic situation of modern Britain, if not thus was it ever so, it certainly was from the late seventeenth century onwards, as these plundering expeditions were crewed by men (without goats) of many nations, including when required, by Black slaves too (these last frequently seized en-route, and slated to be sold at the end of the expedition - any new clothing purchased for them a deductible expense) one of whom was Selkirk, a Scotsman , the rescue party initially thought he had forgotten how to speak English after for years, four months with only the goats, but perhaps they simply could not penetrate his accent?
The last element is Selkirk's island itself, off the coast of Chile, hundreds of miles southwards of Valparaiso, it had been colonised over centuries by such plants and creatures as washed upon its shores, by the time of the war of the Spanish succession, ships stopped there occasionally to take on water and rummage for fresh food - sea-lions and tortoises were popular, goats and cats had been dumped there the former to provide a protein source too and all had flourished, but there were no regular human inhabitants.
After Selkirk's time the Spanish had a fort on the island during the war of the Austrian succession but later a Swiss adventurer in the nineteenth century persuaded the newly independent Chilean government to colonise the island of Juan Fernandez, and the colony reached some five hundred souls, living by felling the forests, grazing cattle as well as the traditional past-time of eating sea-lion or tortoise and catching lobster. In more recent times a Swedish botanist persuaded the Chileans to make a nature preserve of the island which meant killing the rats, the blackberry bushes, restricting the cattle and the humans. This effort came over as slightly Quixotic if not-Crusoan, in that the fauna and flora of the island were all colonists of different vintages. Removing several waves of them demonstrating the dominance of the chemicals of man over the environment rather than the dominance of the environment over the man as Selkirk's story might illustrate (the theme neatly inverted Souhami tells us by Richard Steele attempting to stave off bankruptcy by writing anything and later taken up by Defoe for the same reason).
Souhami tells us that Selkirk thought that the island possessed him, for this the evidence is scant to none, though we might feel it to be true as point of fact that we belong to the planet and are of it's ecosystem, like Burns' Ploughman, we notice the breeches to "Nature's social Union" and in the message of Robinson Crusoe, asserting man's 'natural' dominance we read a great significance and a willing ignorance which has taken us a long way down a certain road. This might have been another book: Selkirk as a focal point for changing perspectives of the position of people relative to the whole of nature. Indeed perhaps that is the purpose of the goat sex, a metaphor of man's drive to dominate, possess and to know biblically or otherwise all that is around him. But Selkirk himself will not bear such weight.
So in conclusion, I see a few possible books in here that Souhami consciously or not choose not to write in favour of a story around a hole, the unknowable filled not by a sense of the ineffable but by the sexual exploitation of goats by an angry Scotsman. A rare book to have won a prize and to leave the reader with a sense that it could have been a contender.
To say the same but differently it felt like reading a series of interlinked and overlapping webs, at the centre of each was not a Spider, but a hole. Around which Souhami wrote, perhaps in a mid Atlantic style, 'garbage' used a few pages before ' toffs', rather as though her vocabulary was that of a marooned person obliged to make use of such words as washed up on the shores of her island for the want of a native idiom.
Souhami spent some time living on the island where Alexander Selkirk was marooned, but this is not a travel book, Selkirk's story may have been the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe but this is not a book about the book Robinson Crusoe nor Daniel Defoe, neither can Selkirk bear the weight of a book, he wrote no account of his own life, some court summons and the legal argument between his widows over his estate, in addition to the printed accounts which mention him - these curiously sketchy because perhaps the life of a man abandoned on an island for four years, four months is actually not that interesting, this is a slight problem for Souhami, she tries to make up for this by asserting that he had sex with the goats of the island, I'm not sure that an author's belief that the subject of her book possibly, probably, definitely, may have had, sexual relations with that population of goats is enough to sustain a two hundred page book .
Nor does Souhami branch out to write a life and times or the book of the piratical World of Alexander Selkirk, cruelly marooned for the time of four years and four months by his Captain in contravention of the articles of the company, chased once by the Spaniards and eventually rescued by an English expedition to the South Seas in search of stuff they could steal from the Spanish, etc.
Although this last she comes close to, the pirate William Dampier is centre stage for much of the book, a great sailor, and talker, he chatted his way to various gentlemen to reach their hands into their silken purses to fund the purchase and outfitting of ships to sail under Letters of Marque (this being the time of the War of the Spanish Succession) with the firm intention of as I mentioned above, of stealing stuff from the Spanish. Dampier, despite his qualities lacked a certain something necessary to be a pirate, since he avoided on several occasions fighting and engaging against Spanish ships in armed conflict, though this might suggest certain sensible notions on his part as his crews were exhausted, sickly and scurvaceous after their voyages from England. But always to lure the next investor, not the story of needing the assistance of your bank account details to liberate great piles of US dollars from Nigeria but of the Manila Galleon loaded with upwards of Twenty Million Pounds (in Queen Anne Pounds, not modern ones) of goods, ripe to be plucked by black hearted sea dogges, aye and avast me hearties! Inevitably when they do get a Manila Galleon and its goods are auctioned off the value is far, far, lower, but rather like Brexit the fantasy of incredible riches, just out there, in the deserted and empty south Seas, ripe for the plucking, doesn't go away. However, Dampier in his will leaves only unsettled debts. Just as migrants are central to the economic situation of modern Britain, if not thus was it ever so, it certainly was from the late seventeenth century onwards, as these plundering expeditions were crewed by men (without goats) of many nations, including when required, by Black slaves too (these last frequently seized en-route, and slated to be sold at the end of the expedition - any new clothing purchased for them a deductible expense) one of whom was Selkirk, a Scotsman , the rescue party initially thought he had forgotten how to speak English after for years, four months with only the goats, but perhaps they simply could not penetrate his accent?
The last element is Selkirk's island itself, off the coast of Chile, hundreds of miles southwards of Valparaiso, it had been colonised over centuries by such plants and creatures as washed upon its shores, by the time of the war of the Spanish succession, ships stopped there occasionally to take on water and rummage for fresh food - sea-lions and tortoises were popular, goats and cats had been dumped there the former to provide a protein source too and all had flourished, but there were no regular human inhabitants.
After Selkirk's time the Spanish had a fort on the island during the war of the Austrian succession but later a Swiss adventurer in the nineteenth century persuaded the newly independent Chilean government to colonise the island of Juan Fernandez, and the colony reached some five hundred souls, living by felling the forests, grazing cattle as well as the traditional past-time of eating sea-lion or tortoise and catching lobster. In more recent times a Swedish botanist persuaded the Chileans to make a nature preserve of the island which meant killing the rats, the blackberry bushes, restricting the cattle and the humans. This effort came over as slightly Quixotic if not-Crusoan, in that the fauna and flora of the island were all colonists of different vintages. Removing several waves of them demonstrating the dominance of the chemicals of man over the environment rather than the dominance of the environment over the man as Selkirk's story might illustrate (the theme neatly inverted Souhami tells us by Richard Steele attempting to stave off bankruptcy by writing anything and later taken up by Defoe for the same reason).
Souhami tells us that Selkirk thought that the island possessed him, for this the evidence is scant to none, though we might feel it to be true as point of fact that we belong to the planet and are of it's ecosystem, like Burns' Ploughman, we notice the breeches to "Nature's social Union" and in the message of Robinson Crusoe, asserting man's 'natural' dominance we read a great significance and a willing ignorance which has taken us a long way down a certain road. This might have been another book: Selkirk as a focal point for changing perspectives of the position of people relative to the whole of nature. Indeed perhaps that is the purpose of the goat sex, a metaphor of man's drive to dominate, possess and to know biblically or otherwise all that is around him. But Selkirk himself will not bear such weight.
So in conclusion, I see a few possible books in here that Souhami consciously or not choose not to write in favour of a story around a hole, the unknowable filled not by a sense of the ineffable but by the sexual exploitation of goats by an angry Scotsman. A rare book to have won a prize and to leave the reader with a sense that it could have been a contender.
September 10, 2011
Until I read this I didn't realise that the story of Robinson Crusoe was based loosely on a true story. Maybe I'm dumb and everyone else already knew this? I'd always just assumed that it was a fanciful tale cooked up by Defoe while he was cooling his heels and thinking up the plot of Moll Flanders.
The real life Crusoe was a Scotsman called Alexander Selkirk who, after some minor transgression involving a church-related episode of indecency (no juicy details provided) disappeared off to sea to become a true hand before the mast and began a life of buccaneering, piracy and general sea-based mayhem. Sounds like my kind of life to be honest and I'm an out and out sucker for anything which is related to Maritime history or piracy because the British reign of terror on the high seas is fascinating to me. If I could travel through time and pick my spot in history I would have lived in the 18th century, bound my (treasure) chest and run away to sea with the aim of being most terrifying and awesome woman ever to sail the seven seas.
Selkirk managed to write himself a place in history, not by being the best or most terrifying buccaneer but by being the most sensible and the best at surviving. After his ship began to founder (tropical worm and wood do not mix), he put to shore on a deserted island off the coast of modern-day Chile and set about surviving in the way so capably described by Defoe in Robinson Crusoe. Four years would pass before he would talk to another man.
He combed the island looking for food, fishing, hunting and gathering. He built his own shelter, fashioned his own clothes and made his own tools with materials available to him on the island. While the island was idyllic in the modern sense (think Sandals resort but without all the smug couples), the desolate environment and a constant diet of goat are enough to drive a man to the edge of reason. Selkirk was no exception but eventually reached a sort of Zen-like acceptance of his fate. Surviving wasn't the only challenge he faced either. Despite the remote location of the island it was visited by other ships from time to time and he had to remain hidden from ships belonging to countries which were at war with England. Not many places to hide on a tiny island though, plus as a pirate, castaway and general all round reprobate, he would have been at risk of swinging by his neck from the yard arm if caught. After surviving these elaborate games of hide and seek and clothing and feeding himself in a spartan fashion he was eventually rescued.
Selkirk returned to England with a great story to tell and enjoyed his 5 minutes of fame before eventually shipping back off. He died and was buried at sea in 1721. Many think that he missed the island until his dying day and this book suggests that it was a great regret of his that he ever left in the first place.
This book has an interesting story to tell and it's worth reading Robinson Crusoe before hand so you can compare the two. The thing I liked best about Selkirk's story is that it really encapsulates a time when the world was still largely unsullied and uncharted. You genuinely could disappear off the edge of the map and few men knew what awaited them beyond the edge of horizon. The age of satellite, GPS, GIS and 24/7 communication means that we will never truly be able to savour the pleasure of true exploration in this way. Now you'll just have to content yourself with being the first person to tag somewhere on Google maps.... at least until you realise someone has already put 1000 pictures of that same place on Facebook a week before.
The real life Crusoe was a Scotsman called Alexander Selkirk who, after some minor transgression involving a church-related episode of indecency (no juicy details provided) disappeared off to sea to become a true hand before the mast and began a life of buccaneering, piracy and general sea-based mayhem. Sounds like my kind of life to be honest and I'm an out and out sucker for anything which is related to Maritime history or piracy because the British reign of terror on the high seas is fascinating to me. If I could travel through time and pick my spot in history I would have lived in the 18th century, bound my (treasure) chest and run away to sea with the aim of being most terrifying and awesome woman ever to sail the seven seas.
Selkirk managed to write himself a place in history, not by being the best or most terrifying buccaneer but by being the most sensible and the best at surviving. After his ship began to founder (tropical worm and wood do not mix), he put to shore on a deserted island off the coast of modern-day Chile and set about surviving in the way so capably described by Defoe in Robinson Crusoe. Four years would pass before he would talk to another man.
He combed the island looking for food, fishing, hunting and gathering. He built his own shelter, fashioned his own clothes and made his own tools with materials available to him on the island. While the island was idyllic in the modern sense (think Sandals resort but without all the smug couples), the desolate environment and a constant diet of goat are enough to drive a man to the edge of reason. Selkirk was no exception but eventually reached a sort of Zen-like acceptance of his fate. Surviving wasn't the only challenge he faced either. Despite the remote location of the island it was visited by other ships from time to time and he had to remain hidden from ships belonging to countries which were at war with England. Not many places to hide on a tiny island though, plus as a pirate, castaway and general all round reprobate, he would have been at risk of swinging by his neck from the yard arm if caught. After surviving these elaborate games of hide and seek and clothing and feeding himself in a spartan fashion he was eventually rescued.
Selkirk returned to England with a great story to tell and enjoyed his 5 minutes of fame before eventually shipping back off. He died and was buried at sea in 1721. Many think that he missed the island until his dying day and this book suggests that it was a great regret of his that he ever left in the first place.
This book has an interesting story to tell and it's worth reading Robinson Crusoe before hand so you can compare the two. The thing I liked best about Selkirk's story is that it really encapsulates a time when the world was still largely unsullied and uncharted. You genuinely could disappear off the edge of the map and few men knew what awaited them beyond the edge of horizon. The age of satellite, GPS, GIS and 24/7 communication means that we will never truly be able to savour the pleasure of true exploration in this way. Now you'll just have to content yourself with being the first person to tag somewhere on Google maps.... at least until you realise someone has already put 1000 pictures of that same place on Facebook a week before.
March 12, 2012
I'm not sure if it was the early 18th-century language and odd word spellings that did it, or just the fact that Alexander Selkirk was something of a scoundrel, causing grief even after his death, that made this book drag for me. I liked it, but didn't love it - when I put it down, I didn't think, "Man, I can't wait till I have time to get back to that book!" The tone was kind of cold and clinical - the author didn't seem like she really cared about the story one way or another; it felt like a book report or clinical study. But there was still something interesting that kept me reading. The book is divided into several parts, and only one of those parts discussed Selkirk's time stranded on the island (for 4 years, 4 months). The rest of the parts deal with privateers' (pirates?) lives on board ships and the hardships they faced (mostly scurvy, though plenty of hunger, disease, and wounds from battles occurred) while in search of gold and other treasures, and Selkirk's life both before and after being rescued from the island. The last part details what the island is like today.
March 9, 2015
**actual rating 3.5**
I liked this book but I took away half a star because I thought there was too much written about after Selkirk was rescued and not enough about his actual time on the island.
This event is what Robinson Crusoe was based on but Dafoe left out one little tidbit. Selkirk had....umm....."relations" with goats. That's right, THOSE kinds of relations. I found this pretty funny because he ate them too and I was picturing him appraising the goats and deciding which of the goats was better looking and thus worthy of his amorous intentions.
Good read, lots of nautical battles and descriptions of sailing, etc.
I liked this book but I took away half a star because I thought there was too much written about after Selkirk was rescued and not enough about his actual time on the island.
This event is what Robinson Crusoe was based on but Dafoe left out one little tidbit. Selkirk had....umm....."relations" with goats. That's right, THOSE kinds of relations. I found this pretty funny because he ate them too and I was picturing him appraising the goats and deciding which of the goats was better looking and thus worthy of his amorous intentions.
Good read, lots of nautical battles and descriptions of sailing, etc.
February 6, 2016
I'm a big fan of natural history books, and this one is well-researched and written without trying to embellish the story. It's equally fascinating that Selkirk survived the ensuing battles and constant threats of disease and death after his rescue.
Natural history and science readers who enjoyed Longitude, In the Heart of the Sea, The Map that Changed the World, the Lighthouse Stevensons and Calendar will find this one worthy reading.
Natural history and science readers who enjoyed Longitude, In the Heart of the Sea, The Map that Changed the World, the Lighthouse Stevensons and Calendar will find this one worthy reading.
did-not-finish
February 5, 2024100 pages in of a 256 page book and we still haven't gotten to the actual shipwreck. That tells me there's very little shipwreck in my shipwreck book, and I'm kind of bored reading about sailing minutiae and personality conflicts.
October 15, 2020
“‘Our Pinnace return’d from the shore’ Woodes Rogers wrote in his journal, ‘and brought abundance of Craw-fish, with a Man cloth’d in Goat Skins who look’d wilder than the first Owners of them.’”
The prototype for Robinson Crusoe was more extraordinary but less uplifting than Daniel Defoe’s fictional hero. His humanness as well as that of scallywags with whom he sailed—and who marooned him in the South Pacific—bursts through in Souhami’s meticulously researched volume.
“[Dampier] bragged ‘that he knew where to go and could not fail of taking to the value of £500,000 any Day in the year’.† He was not believed. This captain, when it came to action, hid behind a mattress and gave no orders. He was cowardly, incompetent and usually drunk.”
Alexander Selkirk’s “rescue” comes halfway through his story. He was a born buccaneer, despite a Scot Presbyterian upbringing and the four years isolation. It goes downhill from there. Sadly, this tiger didn’t change his stripes, even though contemporaries whitewashed his story as a modern (eighteenth century) Pilgrim’s Progress. Defoe met Selkirk and undoubtedly recognized that he was not the morally uplifting hero the public needed. Hence his fictional re-incarnation.
“He was, he thought, a better cook, tailor and carpenter than before, and a better Christian too.” Followed by a discussion of his sexual relations with the goats.
Souhani tells Selkirk’s tale “warts and all.” The telling is occasionally tedious, occasionally shocking. But the truth tells through.
“This plain Man’s Story is a memorable Example, that he is happiest who confines his Wants to natural Necessities; and he that goes further in his Desires, increases his Wants in Proportion to his Acquisitions; or to use his own Expression, I am now worth 800 Pounds, but shall never be so happy, as when I was not worth a Farthing.”
The prototype for Robinson Crusoe was more extraordinary but less uplifting than Daniel Defoe’s fictional hero. His humanness as well as that of scallywags with whom he sailed—and who marooned him in the South Pacific—bursts through in Souhami’s meticulously researched volume.
“[Dampier] bragged ‘that he knew where to go and could not fail of taking to the value of £500,000 any Day in the year’.† He was not believed. This captain, when it came to action, hid behind a mattress and gave no orders. He was cowardly, incompetent and usually drunk.”
Alexander Selkirk’s “rescue” comes halfway through his story. He was a born buccaneer, despite a Scot Presbyterian upbringing and the four years isolation. It goes downhill from there. Sadly, this tiger didn’t change his stripes, even though contemporaries whitewashed his story as a modern (eighteenth century) Pilgrim’s Progress. Defoe met Selkirk and undoubtedly recognized that he was not the morally uplifting hero the public needed. Hence his fictional re-incarnation.
“He was, he thought, a better cook, tailor and carpenter than before, and a better Christian too.” Followed by a discussion of his sexual relations with the goats.
Souhani tells Selkirk’s tale “warts and all.” The telling is occasionally tedious, occasionally shocking. But the truth tells through.
“This plain Man’s Story is a memorable Example, that he is happiest who confines his Wants to natural Necessities; and he that goes further in his Desires, increases his Wants in Proportion to his Acquisitions; or to use his own Expression, I am now worth 800 Pounds, but shall never be so happy, as when I was not worth a Farthing.”
May 19, 2011
I think the name is a bit of a misnomer; The Island is only loosely a character or main theme of the book. A fascinating read nonetheless with lots of historically accurate information. This is the second time I read this book (because I just keep forgetting what I've read) and I appreciated it more this go round. I think that is primarily due to the fact that I was expecting less of Selkirk's island experience and more of the wider picture the author covers of the time, the man, and the island. Not a huge favorite, but a good read.
July 3, 2025
A lovely little book inspired by Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe - the first British novel, apparently - which was in turn inspired by the remarkable story of Alexander Selkirk. And Selkirk’s adventure would never have happened if it hadn’t been for those pesky shipworms.
In 1704, Selkirk, a privateer (state-sponsored pirate, authorised to attack ships of nations with which a country was at war) was sailing the South Seas in search of Spanish vessels to maraud (Britain was at war with Spain). His expedition had significantly underestimated the appetite of tropical shipworms and made a critical error of not sheathing the hulls of their ships with tarred fabric and planks. So after months at sea with precious little plunder and hungry worms munching away, the ships were leaky tubs and Selkirk felt the crew were endangering their lives continuing. He protested to the ship’s captain a tad too vehemently and was deliberately marooned on the island now known as Robinson Crusoe Island, also known as Juan Fernando, some 360 miles west of Chile.
There Selkirk lived alone for four years before he was rescued. In that time his chief relationships were with goats and cats and while he was in some ways desperate to leave, he seems to have also found a kind of peace on the island. The author does a great job extrapolating from what must have been scanty notes to explore Selkirk’s mindset. Regularly in trouble when living amongst others, he somehow found his equilibrium and at times, paradise on the island.
There is something alluring about isolation. The shocking behaviour in the rest of the book, the pillaging, wanton violence, bigamy and slavery stand in stark contrast to the simple island life Selkirk enjoyed. We also enjoy a modern day wrap up about the island and how it has suffered through overfishing and other environmental degradations. The island Selkirk knew is barely recognisable.
If I were going to criticise, I’d say that there is a lot about privateering but not much about the time on the island. But it’s a lovingly curated story about Selkirk and of course about the island. An enjoyable read.
In 1704, Selkirk, a privateer (state-sponsored pirate, authorised to attack ships of nations with which a country was at war) was sailing the South Seas in search of Spanish vessels to maraud (Britain was at war with Spain). His expedition had significantly underestimated the appetite of tropical shipworms and made a critical error of not sheathing the hulls of their ships with tarred fabric and planks. So after months at sea with precious little plunder and hungry worms munching away, the ships were leaky tubs and Selkirk felt the crew were endangering their lives continuing. He protested to the ship’s captain a tad too vehemently and was deliberately marooned on the island now known as Robinson Crusoe Island, also known as Juan Fernando, some 360 miles west of Chile.
There Selkirk lived alone for four years before he was rescued. In that time his chief relationships were with goats and cats and while he was in some ways desperate to leave, he seems to have also found a kind of peace on the island. The author does a great job extrapolating from what must have been scanty notes to explore Selkirk’s mindset. Regularly in trouble when living amongst others, he somehow found his equilibrium and at times, paradise on the island.
There is something alluring about isolation. The shocking behaviour in the rest of the book, the pillaging, wanton violence, bigamy and slavery stand in stark contrast to the simple island life Selkirk enjoyed. We also enjoy a modern day wrap up about the island and how it has suffered through overfishing and other environmental degradations. The island Selkirk knew is barely recognisable.
If I were going to criticise, I’d say that there is a lot about privateering but not much about the time on the island. But it’s a lovingly curated story about Selkirk and of course about the island. An enjoyable read.
December 3, 2013
This book has an interesting contrast in approach to Souhami's part-novel, part-memoir based on another remote island, Pitcairn. She has spent time both there and on the Juan Fernandez Islands, where Selkirk, the hero of this tale, was marooned and survived for several years. This book begins intriguingly with a speculation about how the islands were formed and what their pre-Selkirk history might have been. (I imagine this was stimulated by studies of how the Galapagos Islands evolved, albeit that Galapagos is on the Equator.)
We then learn much about the lives and endeavours of the privateers who menaced the Spanish possessions on the west coast of Latin America, and Souhami cunningly imagines herself into the mindset of the despicable adventurers who were pirates in all but name. Selkirk emerges from a rough bunch, but we imagine him (convincingly) changing in character somewhat during his enforced isolation and his dependence on what the island offers him. This is the best part of the book.
He returns to England in a sort of triumph, but the ill-gotten spoils of the privateers are soon divided so much that he and the other seamen get little lasting benefit from what was an exhausting and extremely perilous voyage, from which many (most?) failed to return. Selkirk was incredibly lucky, but made the most of that luck by using his skills and - it's fairly obvious - having the right personality to withstand so many years isolated from the rest of the human race.
Souhami gives us a convincing portrait - far more so than the 'first English novel' Robinson Crusoe, which was only vaguely based on the real events. In the absence of Selkirk's actual diary, supposedly sold to a German museum but now untraceable (according to 'The Atlas of Remote Islands'), Souhami's re-creation of his adventures will be the best account we could get.
We then learn much about the lives and endeavours of the privateers who menaced the Spanish possessions on the west coast of Latin America, and Souhami cunningly imagines herself into the mindset of the despicable adventurers who were pirates in all but name. Selkirk emerges from a rough bunch, but we imagine him (convincingly) changing in character somewhat during his enforced isolation and his dependence on what the island offers him. This is the best part of the book.
He returns to England in a sort of triumph, but the ill-gotten spoils of the privateers are soon divided so much that he and the other seamen get little lasting benefit from what was an exhausting and extremely perilous voyage, from which many (most?) failed to return. Selkirk was incredibly lucky, but made the most of that luck by using his skills and - it's fairly obvious - having the right personality to withstand so many years isolated from the rest of the human race.
Souhami gives us a convincing portrait - far more so than the 'first English novel' Robinson Crusoe, which was only vaguely based on the real events. In the absence of Selkirk's actual diary, supposedly sold to a German museum but now untraceable (according to 'The Atlas of Remote Islands'), Souhami's re-creation of his adventures will be the best account we could get.
September 23, 2016
The story of Robinson Crusoe is a fictional story but it was based on the real story of Alexander Selkirk. This is his story.
He was a young Scottish man always getting into trouble so he went to sea. He eventually became a Master. In 1703 he left on a privateer journey from Britain and sailed around the straits at Tierra del Fuego, South America. The goal was to capture the Manila galleon which supposedly carried gold and treasures. The journey was long and arduos. He was constantly arguing with the capitan. For example, he believed the ships would not withstand worms. Because of his bickering, the capital left him on an uninhabited island, Isla Juan Fernandez, which is in the South Pacific and now belongs to Chile. He lived alone for 4 years and 4 months. He survived a dangerous fall and an attack by Spaniards. He was rescued and returned to Britain.
This is not only his story but the story of Juan Fernandez, a merchant seaman in the 1500´s. Also, a story is included of the Darien scheme which was the failed Scottish plan to colonize Panama.
Good story. The story starts in the 1700 then goes back to the 1690´s then back to the 1500´s before returning to the main story in the 1700´s. I didn´t like backward switch in time.
I would like to visit this island now.
He was a young Scottish man always getting into trouble so he went to sea. He eventually became a Master. In 1703 he left on a privateer journey from Britain and sailed around the straits at Tierra del Fuego, South America. The goal was to capture the Manila galleon which supposedly carried gold and treasures. The journey was long and arduos. He was constantly arguing with the capitan. For example, he believed the ships would not withstand worms. Because of his bickering, the capital left him on an uninhabited island, Isla Juan Fernandez, which is in the South Pacific and now belongs to Chile. He lived alone for 4 years and 4 months. He survived a dangerous fall and an attack by Spaniards. He was rescued and returned to Britain.
This is not only his story but the story of Juan Fernandez, a merchant seaman in the 1500´s. Also, a story is included of the Darien scheme which was the failed Scottish plan to colonize Panama.
Good story. The story starts in the 1700 then goes back to the 1690´s then back to the 1500´s before returning to the main story in the 1700´s. I didn´t like backward switch in time.
I would like to visit this island now.
October 13, 2023
I read this book due to the mentions of Selkirk in David Grann's The Wager. Ms. Souhami's approach to the historical details was a tad different from other history books that I've read. It felt at times the direction flip-flopped between narrative history and fiction. I understand from another GR reviewer that this was the author's intention and according to a Wikipedia article, booksellers and librarians have had trouble with the book's classification (my library system placed it in 910.4).
I enjoyed the book, wobbling a bit at the mention of Selkirk having relations with the goats of the island. I felt badly for the two wives (Sophia Bruce and Frances Candis) and the contesting of the wills.
Also included in this book are historical details about Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and current ecological happenings at the island at present.
Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_S...
I enjoyed the book, wobbling a bit at the mention of Selkirk having relations with the goats of the island. I felt badly for the two wives (Sophia Bruce and Frances Candis) and the contesting of the wills.
Also included in this book are historical details about Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and current ecological happenings at the island at present.
Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_S...
September 16, 2016
Someone recommended this book to me. I read it with growing incredulity and annoyance. I suppose the inclusion of the word 'true' in the title primed me for criticism, because this is a work of supposition and fiction. The suggestion that a Brazilian snake could reach Juan Fernandez by drifting on a log of wood is incredible: over 3000 miles at sea with the fierce currents of the Southern Ocean speeding in the opposite direction. The statements of how far Selkirk's island is from South America vary enormously from one place in the book to another, as do the compass directions. Anyone who sets out to write a work of historical fiction should at least make sure that the infrastructure is accurate and plausible. I give it two, rather than one star, because it is quite readable in spite of the inexcusible factual errors. It is mainly fantasy.
July 17, 2009
If you like Patrick O'Brian's books, you'll probably like this true-life but fictionalized story of a sailor who was stranded on an island (far) off the coast of Chile in the early 1700's, for "four years and four months".
Alexander Selkirk wasn't particularly likable, though. He got in fights with his family & shipmates (leading to his being marooned), he treated goats on the island pretty bestially (pun intended), he married a couple of women and abandoned them.
The descriptions of the life on ships ("shit-encrusted and rat-infested"), the horrible food and the disease, the cruelty to each other and various indigenous peoples are fascinating, and make me glad to be alive in the 21st c.
Alexander Selkirk wasn't particularly likable, though. He got in fights with his family & shipmates (leading to his being marooned), he treated goats on the island pretty bestially (pun intended), he married a couple of women and abandoned them.
The descriptions of the life on ships ("shit-encrusted and rat-infested"), the horrible food and the disease, the cruelty to each other and various indigenous peoples are fascinating, and make me glad to be alive in the 21st c.
September 30, 2015
This was an interesting book, I had no idea Robinson Crusoe was based on a real person, although loosely. I found the history about sea voyages and the English funding expeditions for treasure was good information. I was disappointed at how little there was about Selkirk's actual time on the island, but I guess since this is a factual book, the facts are, there isn't much more information about it. Sea travel was extremely dangerous and the ships hardly seaworthy, I had no idea so many died on expeditions. I also found it interesting how many people wrote about their sea voyages and about Selkirk.
October 26, 2012
The authoress, Diana Souhami writes beautifully. That's just for starters. The book recreates the story of an itinerant Scottish sailor who's marooned on an island for over four years. The immortal story of Robinson Crusoe is based on this man's adventures. Souhami uses exhaustive research to create the times (early 18th century) aboard pirate ships attempting to overcome Spanish ships loaded with gold returning from South America. Souhami actually lived for three months alone on the island to get a sense of what Selkirk experienced. Great read. Can't recommend too highly.
October 26, 2015
Having studied several of the buccaneering characters affiliated with Selkirk, it seemed apropos to dig into this study of Selkirk himself. The tale was what I expected, fascinating. Souhami's word choices throughout the work raise questions to her professionalism and appropriateness of piece for academic use (see references to Selkirk's goat sex).
September 9, 2020
Whilst listening to a radio programme about Robinson Crusoe I was intrigued to learn that Alexander Selkirk who was marooned on the island of Juan Fernandez for four years was the inspiration behind Daniel Defoe's book. Diana Souhami gives an excellent account of Selkirk's time on the island and also provides some background to his story. During the time of Queen Anne, Britain was at war with Spain and Selkirk was a pirate who sailed the South Seas in search of gold and other plunder. Selkirk and his fellow shipmates were a bunch of misfits but not without a certain amount of courage and resourcefulness. Sailing the South Seas in the 18th century was not for the faint hearted! Conditions on board ship were primitive and the crew were at risk of contracting scurvy and other diseases. Selkirk's four year exile on the island came about through a disagreement with the captain of his ship who sailed off in a huff leaving Selkirk behind. Although he had some supplies with him, Selkirk did not have the resources that Defoe would later give to Crusoe and so I had to admire his resilience and skill as he built himself a shelter, made clothes out of goat skins and found food to sustain himself for over four years. He did do unspeakable things to the goats upon which I will not dwell .... After he was rescued, two of his shipmates tried to make money out of his story by writing accounts of his time on the island, which Daniel Defoe must have read and then the legendary Crusoe was born. Selkirk's story is continued through the petitions of two women, both of whom Selkirk had apparently married. I ended up feeling sorry for the first wife as it did seem that she had been done out of her inheritance! I enjoyed this book very much and I learnt a lot. What a strange life these pirates led - going away to 'ye Seas', enduring awful conditions because of the lure of gold and glory. Selkirk came into his own when marooned on the island but did not seem able to cope with life in conventional society. He ended up going back to sea and died of fever (?malaria) off the coast of Africa. The book ended with an update on the island which is now protected by UNESCO. I thought this was a well researched book which was written with a touch of humour but always acknowledging the Island as the only place that Selkirk could ever call home.
March 2, 2018
This one works on two levels for most readers. If you have somehow never read or heard of Robinson Crusoe there's an interesting history of a singular time and place: Scotsman Alexander Selkirk lived four years and four months on an island off the coast of what is now Chile some 310 years ago. (Thing I learned that I hadn't from other renditions: Selkirk had carnal knowledge of goats ... although I didn't bother to check the footnotes to discover how well-sourced this tidbit was. The goats, after all, weren't talking.)
But it's the other level that makes the book worth reading. As Souhami points out, few books have made the same impression through the centuries as the fictionalized account of Selkirk's marooning. Foe by J.M. Coetzee remains one of my favorite books-responding-to-other-titles.
There was one other level for me. One of Selkirk's superior officers (and rescuers) was William Dampier. Little remembered today, Dampier had one of the most unusual and outstanding careers of any explorer in history. Having learned about him in a terrific biography, A Pirate of Exquisite Mind, it was kind of fun to read an entirely different take on his character. He comes across here as an ineffectual drunk. Given that he was the first person to circumnavigate the globe three times, was enough of a naturalist to lead Charles Darwin to travel to the Galapagos Islands and introduced some 300 words into the English language, it feels like he's getting short shrift here.
Just a note on the writing. The author's prose is frequently artistic (particularly in describing the island) and makes it an easy, enjoyable read.
But it's the other level that makes the book worth reading. As Souhami points out, few books have made the same impression through the centuries as the fictionalized account of Selkirk's marooning. Foe by J.M. Coetzee remains one of my favorite books-responding-to-other-titles.
There was one other level for me. One of Selkirk's superior officers (and rescuers) was William Dampier. Little remembered today, Dampier had one of the most unusual and outstanding careers of any explorer in history. Having learned about him in a terrific biography, A Pirate of Exquisite Mind, it was kind of fun to read an entirely different take on his character. He comes across here as an ineffectual drunk. Given that he was the first person to circumnavigate the globe three times, was enough of a naturalist to lead Charles Darwin to travel to the Galapagos Islands and introduced some 300 words into the English language, it feels like he's getting short shrift here.
Just a note on the writing. The author's prose is frequently artistic (particularly in describing the island) and makes it an easy, enjoyable read.
April 2, 2023
As the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's book, Robinson Crusoe, the Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was stranded alone for over 4 years on the island of Juan Fernandez in 1704 about 300 miles west of Chile in the Pacific Ocean. Given that teaser on the jacket of this beautiful book, I thought this true story might be a somewhat inspiring survival tale of the resilience and ingenuity of the human spirit. I was wrong.
In 1701-1702 many private "investors" in England would fund adventurers/privateers to raid the Spanish anywhere around Central and South America due to the War of Spanish Succession after the death of Charles II of Spain. England's thirst for much of the riches found in the Americas was strong. Selkirk, being a young buccaneer wanted to sail the world to collect his bounties. He joined a expedition in 1703 to attack merchant ships and colonies.
Written from the ship logs of these men - we discover just how horrible they all were. Everything was about greed, pillaging, rape, slaves, killing, in-fighting, torturing, bestiality, bigamy etc. Everyone - from the captains down the sailors were despicable people always looking for more bounty to collect and get rich no matter the cost - Selkirk included.
Selkirk voluntarily gets stranded in 1704 on the island when he has a disagreement with the captain of his ship that ended in a fist fight. Yes, he does learn how to survive using what tools he had and means of shelter. Animals were plentiful so he had the means to live on. The problem is that we only discover that Selkirk is no one to idolize. He's just as terrible as everyone else on these plundering ships fueled only by greed. Of course, Defoe was able to turn this into a tale of perseverance - but the truth was nothing like that.
I can't say the book was very well written - it seemed to lack historical coherence in many parts. It's a fairly easy read, however and pushed me to doubt that there is any natural goodness in human beings - not a good outcome. 3 stars
In 1701-1702 many private "investors" in England would fund adventurers/privateers to raid the Spanish anywhere around Central and South America due to the War of Spanish Succession after the death of Charles II of Spain. England's thirst for much of the riches found in the Americas was strong. Selkirk, being a young buccaneer wanted to sail the world to collect his bounties. He joined a expedition in 1703 to attack merchant ships and colonies.
Written from the ship logs of these men - we discover just how horrible they all were. Everything was about greed, pillaging, rape, slaves, killing, in-fighting, torturing, bestiality, bigamy etc. Everyone - from the captains down the sailors were despicable people always looking for more bounty to collect and get rich no matter the cost - Selkirk included.
Selkirk voluntarily gets stranded in 1704 on the island when he has a disagreement with the captain of his ship that ended in a fist fight. Yes, he does learn how to survive using what tools he had and means of shelter. Animals were plentiful so he had the means to live on. The problem is that we only discover that Selkirk is no one to idolize. He's just as terrible as everyone else on these plundering ships fueled only by greed. Of course, Defoe was able to turn this into a tale of perseverance - but the truth was nothing like that.
I can't say the book was very well written - it seemed to lack historical coherence in many parts. It's a fairly easy read, however and pushed me to doubt that there is any natural goodness in human beings - not a good outcome. 3 stars
March 7, 2020
More close to a 3.5 stars, but the evocative final chapter bumped it up to 4.
Short history of the tale ofAlexander Selkirk, the real life inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, although this is definitely less of a romanticized telling than the fictionalised version. Covers in nearly equal parts Selkirk’s life before, during and after his almost five years on the deserted is;and off the coast of Chile in the early 1700’s. The author notes that those who first wrote about Selkirks time on the island didn’t provide enough detail on his actual life there and how he survived and the same criticism could indeed be made of this book; more on that v]critical middle section would have helped, what was in this section in many places seemed to be based on conjecture of what Selkirk was thinking at the time.
The book had similarities to some of Giles Milton’s best work and it really did bring home the realities of the toughness of the times and the daring of the men who went to the other side of the world at this time.
It was the last chapter of the book that I found most moving, the history of the island since Selkirk left it. The habitation of the island, introduction of indigent species and the destruction of the environment is indeed hard to read, and as strong as any recent writing on the losses due to environmental damage.
Short history of the tale ofAlexander Selkirk, the real life inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, although this is definitely less of a romanticized telling than the fictionalised version. Covers in nearly equal parts Selkirk’s life before, during and after his almost five years on the deserted is;and off the coast of Chile in the early 1700’s. The author notes that those who first wrote about Selkirks time on the island didn’t provide enough detail on his actual life there and how he survived and the same criticism could indeed be made of this book; more on that v]critical middle section would have helped, what was in this section in many places seemed to be based on conjecture of what Selkirk was thinking at the time.
The book had similarities to some of Giles Milton’s best work and it really did bring home the realities of the toughness of the times and the daring of the men who went to the other side of the world at this time.
It was the last chapter of the book that I found most moving, the history of the island since Selkirk left it. The habitation of the island, introduction of indigent species and the destruction of the environment is indeed hard to read, and as strong as any recent writing on the losses due to environmental damage.
March 20, 2023
Since I can't do justice to this book without mentioning goat buggery (and the author's painfully absurd reason for thinking it not just possible but certain) or the palm tree method of masturbation (no reason behind this assertion but now I can't stop picturing it) and since I seem to have mentioned them anyway and very much against my will, the best I can do to explain my vehement dislike of this book is to quote from the Guardian article published after the author won the Whitbread biography prize for what is certainly not biography and barely history:
"Souhami takes gleeful pleasure in mixing genres. She cites her debt to the 'faultless scholarship' of the maritime historian Glyn Williams, but then adds: 'He must hate my book. What he is not good at is having an opinion. I don't want to write that sort of book; I want to generalise; to bring in a bit of fiction.' She stoutly defends this multi-genre approach: 'I can play games in my own books, can't I? History isn't what happened. It's what people tell us happened, and what we make of it ourselves. Those journals that ships' captains kept were very circumspect about some things.'"
"Souhami takes gleeful pleasure in mixing genres. She cites her debt to the 'faultless scholarship' of the maritime historian Glyn Williams, but then adds: 'He must hate my book. What he is not good at is having an opinion. I don't want to write that sort of book; I want to generalise; to bring in a bit of fiction.' She stoutly defends this multi-genre approach: 'I can play games in my own books, can't I? History isn't what happened. It's what people tell us happened, and what we make of it ourselves. Those journals that ships' captains kept were very circumspect about some things.'"
October 7, 2023
Just a few words here to honor what I consider to be a major achievement by Diana Souhami in bringing this history to wider attention with great skill, curiosity, and sensitivity. Robinson Crusoe became a global sensation in its time, but the underlying true story of a remote world, and the obscure man who survived it on his own, had faded into the earth. My wife read this account to me aloud during a long drive, and we hung on every word with utter fascination.
Through her admirable first-hand research and nuanced writing, Ms. Souhami illuminated the extraordinary experiences of people whose impact on the emerging New World was monumental, and others to whom history was savage. As a writer, I commend this author for telling an unforgettable tale that will inspire me for the rest of my life.
Through her admirable first-hand research and nuanced writing, Ms. Souhami illuminated the extraordinary experiences of people whose impact on the emerging New World was monumental, and others to whom history was savage. As a writer, I commend this author for telling an unforgettable tale that will inspire me for the rest of my life.
June 11, 2025
Interesting book, but outdated and an odd way of writing this story. There were some parts that were just incredible, mainly the parts where it tells the story of the life of Alexander Selkirk's adventures of surviving by himself on an island after being left to die. His real life story inspires the famous fiction Robinson Crusoe. I loved that this took the view of the true story of his life and how it actually happened and how he survived. But the parts that rambled about the specifics of the ships and how much loot they received on every single item was tough to read.
February 23, 2021
This was a surprising and enjoyable read. I expected it to be another story, when in reality it brought out the historical references that were to be found about Alexander Selkirk, his life, the history of the voyages he was on, and his death. It TOTALLY made me wonder why anyone ever went to sea more than once . If you are into history, this was well presented.
May 16, 2021
Pretty interesting account of the person who Robinson Crusoe is based on. It was great at showing the horrendous conditions that sailors used to endure.
It also showed me a bit more nuance of The idea of British in the South Seas just being murderous pirates who looted everything - basically the Spanish were doing the same in reverse.
It also showed me a bit more nuance of The idea of British in the South Seas just being murderous pirates who looted everything - basically the Spanish were doing the same in reverse.
February 1, 2020
This well-researched book brings back to life the adventures of the "real" Robinson Crusoe, highlighting the brutality of life on board ship, the island itself, and everyday survival in 17th- and 18th-century England.
May 2, 2024
Interesting insights into sea voyages and how they were financed in the early 1700.
The section on Selkirks time on the island and much of the rest of the book comes largely from the imagination of the author which becomes quite irritating because we know it’s fiction in a supposedly true story.
The section on Selkirks time on the island and much of the rest of the book comes largely from the imagination of the author which becomes quite irritating because we know it’s fiction in a supposedly true story.
December 28, 2017
I wanted it to be better.
The facts of his marooning, while supremely unique, would have been helped by better narrative writing.
The facts of his marooning, while supremely unique, would have been helped by better narrative writing.
February 25, 2018
This was difficult for me to read as the print was very small.....
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