born November 1628, Elstow, Bedfordshire, Eng.
died Aug. 31, 1688, London
English minister and author.
Bunyan encountered the seething religious life of various left-wing sects while serving in Nonconformist for 12 years, during which he wrote his spiritual autobiography, Grace Abounding (1666). He is best known for The Pilgrim's Progress (1678–84), a religious allegory expressing the Puritan religious outlook. A symbolic vision of the character Christian's pilgrimage through life, it was at one time second only to the Bible in popularity among ordinary readers. Despite his ministerial responsibilities, he published numerous works in his last 10 years.
John Bunyan, pencil drawing on vellum by Robert White; in the British Museum
By courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum