Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe is one of the most famous books in all of European literature. But for every ten people who know Robinson, hardly one knows his author. Entering the literature for youth, this book detached itself from its historical and literary context. Besides Robinson, three books from the 17th-18th century have firmly and long held their place in children's literature: Don Quixote, Gulliver, and Munchausen. The fate of Munchausen differs from that of the other two books. Munchausen is limited to what a child reader can find in it. If it is read at a later age, it is only as a memory of childhood. No new horizons are revealed upon re-reading this book. Accordingly, the name of the author of Munchausen is unknown to anyone. Only bibliographic specialists know his name, when he wrote, and in what language.