Daniel Defoe was born Daniel Foe around 1660, likely in the parish of St Giles in London. He was a writer, trader, pamphleteer, and spy.As well as a career as a businessman, Defoe published a number of pamphlets, including a series of proposals for social and economic improvement. In 1706, Defoe was sent to Edinburgh as a secret agent, to do everything possible to secure support for the Act of Union. Between 1719 and 1724, Defore published the novels for which he is most famous, with Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders widely considered to be among the first examples of the modern novel form.Defoe died in April 1731 while in hiding from his creditors.