Johann David Wyss (May 28, 1743 – January 11, 1818) was a Swiss pastor who served as a chaplain in the Swiss Army and best known as the author of The Swiss Family Robinson.  He was inspired by Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe’s tale of self-reliance and survival under duress, which were popular with his four sons. The book took shape as his family discussed the stories and then began to make up their own, Wyss transcribed and crafted into a story that frame the incidents with a strong moral message.  His son Johann Rudolf Wyss, who was also the author of the Swiss national anthem, edited the book, and another son, Johann Emmanual Wyss, illustrated the book.