Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson
Henry Walter Barnett · Public domain · source
Name	Robert Louis Stevenson
Birth date	November 13, 1850
Birth place	Edinburgh, Scotland
Death date	December 3, 1894
Death place	Vailima, Samoa

Robert Louis Stevenson was a renowned Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, best known for his novels Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Thomas Stevenson and Margaret Isabella Balfour Stevenson, and was raised in a family of Presbyterian Church of Scotland values. Stevenson's early life was influenced by his Calvinist upbringing and his love for literature, which was encouraged by his parents and his University of Edinburgh education, where he studied law under Professor David Masson. He was also influenced by the works of Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, and The Arabian Nights.

● Early Life and Education

Stevenson's early life was marked by a struggle with tuberculosis, which forced him to spend much of his childhood indoors, where he developed a love for reading and writing. He attended Edinburgh Academy and later University of Edinburgh, where he studied law and developed a passion for literature under the guidance of Professor Fleeming Jenkin and Professor David Masson. During his time at university, Stevenson was exposed to the works of Walt Whitman, Charles Darwin, and Herbert Spencer, which had a significant impact on his writing style and philosophical views. He also became friends with Charles Baxter (lawyer), Walter Ferrier, and James Walter Ferrier, who would later become his literary colleagues.

● Literary Career

Stevenson's literary career began in the 1870s, when he started writing articles and essays for The Portfolio and The Magazine of Art, under the editorship of William Ernest Henley and James Orrock. He later became a regular contributor to The Cornhill Magazine and Longmans, Green, and Co., where he published his early works, including An Inland Voyage and Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes. Stevenson's writing style was influenced by his love for adventure and travel, which is evident in his works, such as The Beach of Falesá and In the South Seas. He was also influenced by the works of Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, and Henry Fielding, which is reflected in his use of satire and social commentary in his writings.

● Major Works

Stevenson's most famous works include Treasure Island, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Kidnapped, which are considered classics of English literature. His other notable works include The Black Arrow, The Master of Ballantrae, and Weir of Hermiston, which showcase his mastery of historical fiction and psychological insight. Stevenson's works have been translated into many languages, including French, German, and Italian, and have been adapted into numerous film and theater productions, such as the 1931 film version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde starring Fredric March and the 1960 film version of The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn. His works have also been influenced by the Gothic fiction of Ann Radcliffe and Matthew Lewis, and the Romanticism of Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

● Personal Life

Stevenson married Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne in 1880, and the couple had a son, Lloyd Osbourne, who would later become a writer and editor. Stevenson's personal life was marked by his struggles with tuberculosis and his love for travel and adventure, which took him to France, Switzerland, and the South Pacific. He was friends with many notable writers and artists, including Henry James, Edmund Gosse, and John Singer Sargent, and was a member of the Savile Club and the Athenaeum Club. Stevenson's love for music and art is also evident in his writings, which often feature musical and artistic themes, such as in his poem The Land of Counterpane.

● Legacy and Impact

Stevenson's legacy is immense, and his works continue to be widely read and adapted today. He is considered one of the greatest writers of the Victorian era, and his influence can be seen in the works of many other writers, including H.G. Wells, Joseph Conrad, and D.H. Lawrence. Stevenson's use of symbolism and allegory in his works, such as in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, has also had a significant impact on the development of modernist literature. His works have been translated into many languages and have been adapted into numerous film and theater productions, such as the 1941 film version of The Thief of Bagdad and the 1950 film version of Treasure Island starring Bobby Driscoll.

● Later Life and Death

Stevenson spent the last years of his life in Vailima, Samoa, where he died on December 3, 1894, at the age of 44. He was buried on Mount Vaea, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and his grave is marked by a tombstone bearing the inscription from his Requiem poem. Stevenson's death was mourned by his friends and colleagues, including Henry James, Edmund Gosse, and John Singer Sargent, who remembered him as a brilliant writer and a kind and generous person. His legacy continues to be celebrated today, and his works remain widely read and studied in universities and literary circles around the world, including the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and the British Library. Category:Scottish writers