Bunyan wrote the first part of "The Pilgrim's Progress" when he was in
prison for conducting unauthorized Baptist religious services outside
of the Church of England. It was published in 1678; the second part was
published in 1684. In Bunyan's hands a pious tract is transformed into
a work of imaginative literature whose influence, both indirectly on
the English consciousness and directly on the literature that followed,
has been immeasurable.
The rich countryman's phrases that Bunyan
borrowed or invented have become enshrined in the language, and many of
the characters he created to people his imaginary world have won for
themselves an independent and unforgettable existence.
John Bunyan could be said to have authored one of the most influential books in the English language. But 'Pilgrim's Progress' is so much more than a historical novel. Bunyan's plan for his readers is for them to travel through this book as an adventure through the Christian life.
John Bunyan was born in 1628. In 1644 he was caught up in the Civil War and drafted into the Parliamentary army. Four years later he entered a period of intense spiritual struggle (chronicled in Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners), after which he emerged a new man. He joined a Nonconformist church and began to preach. Bunyan spent many years in prison because of his faith and during this time began writing The Pilgrim's Progress. The first part was published in 1678 and the second part, together with the whole work, was published in 1684. Bunyan died in 1688.
Author Image: John Bunyan - British Library, London, UK/ Bridgeman Art Library London/New York
