John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best known for his Christian allegory The Pilgrim's Progress. After serving three years in the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War, he returned home, married and became interested in religion. He joined the Bedford Meeting, a nonconformist Puritan group in Bedford, and became a preacher. After the restoration of the monarchy, Bunyan spent twelve years in jail for refusing to give up preaching. During this time he began work on The Pilgrim's Progress. The Pilgrim's Progress has been translated into over 200 languages, has never gone out of print, and is considered by many to be the first English Novel.