author
Robert Drury
1687–1743
A shipwrecked English sailor who spent about fifteen years in Madagascar, he became known for a gripping survival narrative that fascinated readers in the 1700s and still sparks debate today.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in London in 1687, Robert Drury was a sailor best remembered for the extraordinary story published under his name after he returned to England. As a teenager, he was aboard the Degrave when it was wrecked off Madagascar, and his account says he then lived through years of captivity, hardship, and travel on the island before eventually making his way home.
His book, first published in 1729 as Madagascar; or, Robert Drury’s Journal, was an immediate success with readers interested in adventure, travel, and survival. Scholars have long discussed how fully the narrative can be trusted, but even where details are questioned, the work has remained important as one of the most famous English-language accounts connected with early Madagascar.
Some sources give his death as 1743, while others say only that he died sometime between 1743 and 1750, so the exact year is uncertain. No clear modern portrait of him was found on the sources reviewed, and images commonly associated with his name are usually book illustrations or cover material rather than a verified likeness.