November 28

John Bunyan was born in 1628 in Elstow, Bedfordshire, to a poor tinker's family. He served briefly in the Parliamentary army before returning to religious work as a Baptist preacher. Arrested for nonconformist preaching in 1660, he spent 12 years in Bedford jail, where he wrote The Pilgrim's Progress. This allegorical tale became one of the most translated works in English literature. Bunyan published many other devotional writings, including Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners and The Life and Death of Mr. Badman. His vivid prose and rich imagery influenced religious literature for centuries. John Bunyan died in 1688, leaving a lasting legacy as a founder of English devotional fiction.