Scene of the English sea robbers

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Schauplatz Der Englischen Sea-Räuber is the title of the German translation of the book A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates from 1724 , published in Goslar in 1728 . The work contains biographies of well-known English pirates and significantly influenced the popular image of the pirate. It is one of the most cited sources in English pirate biographies. The identity of the author, Captain Charles Johnson, is unclear. There are no historical records of a captain of this name. It is therefore assumed that the author's name is a pseudonym .

author

The author, Captain Charles Johnson, shows a good knowledge of the language and life of seafarers. In 1934 the American literary scholar and Defoe specialist John Robert Moore advocated the thesis that the author's name was a pseudonym of the English writer Daniel Defoe . Moore's study and reputation as a Defoe specialist led most libraries to catalog general history under Defoe's name. Although the work is still widely carried under the name Defoes to this day, its authorship has meanwhile been disproved in historical and literary studies. According to a thesis of the Kiel historian Arne Bialuschewski from 1999, the English journalist Nathaniel Mist is the most likely author.

content

The first volume, published in London in 1724, deals mainly with the pirates of the early 18th century, the "Golden Age of Piracy" , such as Henry Avery , James Martel , Blackbeard , Stede Bonnet , Edward England , Charles Vane , "Calico Jack" Rackham , Mary Read , Anne Bonny , Howell Davis , "Black Bart" Roberts , Thomas Anstis , Richard Worley , George Lowther , Edward Low , John Evans , Francis Spriggs , John Smith , John Gow , and Roche Braziliano . In doing so, the author allegedly adhered to Admiralty court files, logbooks and interviews. The first publisher, Charles Rivington, stressed the fact that the listing also included stories about " the remarkable deeds and adventures of the two female pirates, Mary Read and Anne Bonny ".

It can no longer be traced which information corresponds to historical events and which originated from the imagination of the author or his sources. Just a few months later a second edition appeared, extensively expanded and probably compiled from other sources, under the title A General History of the Pyrates . The book saw further editions and was soon translated into the most distinguished European languages. An annotated German translation by Joachim Meier based on the English and French editions appeared in Goslar in 1728.

The second volume, announced in 1724, was published in London in 1728. This second volume covers the exploits of its pirate predecessors decades earlier, such as Thomas Tew , William Kidd , John Bowen , John Halsey , Thomas White , Thomas Howard , David Williams , Samuel Burgess , Nathaniel North , Christopher Condent , Samuel Bellamy, and William Fly . The author even includes the biographies of three people who may be entirely fictional, such as Captains James Misson , Lewis and Cornelius. The description of the pirate state Libertatia is also pure fiction.

The book significantly shaped the common ideas about piracy and provided the sample biographies of many pirates who are still known today.

literature

  • Captain Charles Johnson: A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates , The Lyons Press 2002, ISBN 1-58574-558-8 (English, reproduction of the original edition from 1724, second volume 1728. German: comprehensive history of robberies and murders of the notorious pirates . Robinson-Verlag, Frankfurt / M. 1982, ISBN 3-88592-009-3 ) - also at: Conway Maritime Press Ltd; Edition: New Ed (July 15, 2002), 384 pages - ISBN 0-85177-919-0
  • Robert Bohn : The pirates. 2nd Edition. Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-406-48027-6 .
  • John Robert Moore: Defoe in the Pillory and Other Studies , Bloomington 1939 (title translated: Defoe am Pillory and Other Studies)
  • Arne Bialuschewski: Daniel Defoe, Nathaniel Mist and the pirates . A study on the authorship and genesis of the "General History of the Pyrates", Kiel 1999.

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ^ Daniel Defoe - alias Captain Charles Johnson ( Memento December 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive ). A comparison between Defoe and Johnson.
  2. ↑ Arne Bialuschewski: Daniel Defoe, Nathaniel Mist and the pirates . A study on the authorship and genesis of the "General History of the Pyrates", Kiel 1999, p. 6.