Classic Authors: Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson spent much of his life in a sickbed. Constant illness forced him to remain inside for long periods of time. To cope, he read widely and created imaginary worlds in his head. Not surprisingly, he loved the open air and the sea and longed for the day when he would have grand adventures of his own.

Robert was born on November 13, 1850, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and given the name Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson, which he later changed to simply Robert Louis Stevenson. His father, Thomas Stevenson, came from a family of engineers who had erected many of the lighthouses on Scotland's rocky shore. Like his forefathers, Thomas also labored as an engineer. Robert's mother, Margaret Isabella Balfour, belonged to a family of lawyers and church ministers. The family resided in Scotland, where Robert spent most of his childhood ill and in bed.

When he reached 17 years of age, Robert entered Edinburgh University. His father wanted him to study engineering, which he soon gave up for law. Although he passed the bar, Robert never practiced the profession. By that time Robert had realized his real love: writing. He began by producing work for the Edinburgh University Magazine while he attended the school.

Robert began publishing short stories and essays in the mid-1870s. Some of his first published works were volumes of travel writing. An Inland Voyage, an account of his trip by canoe from Antwerp to Northern France, appeared in 1878. The next year he published Travels With a Donkey in the Cerennes, a companion piece.

Shortly after his "inland voyage," Robert met Mrs. Fanny Osbourne, a married American woman studying art in Paris. Fanny was 11 years his elder and was the mother of two. She later divorced her husband; she and Robert were married soon after in Oakland, California. The newly-formed family traveled extensively, looking for a place to settle that would be helpful for Robert's illness. They finally settled on the Samoan island of Upolu in 1890. Robert bought a large piece of property and built his estate, which he named "Vailima" (Five Rivers). The natives on the island loved Robert. They nicknamed him "Tusitala" (Teller of Tales).

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote in many genres, but he is probably most famous for his tales of adventure and suspense. His first novel, Treasure Island(1883), remains a classic. The idea came to him while on vacation in Scotland in the summer of 1881. The weather had turned cold and rainy, and the family was forced to entertain themselves indoors. Robert and his 12-year-old stepson began designing a map of an imaginary "Treasure Island." The exercise sparked Robert's imagination, and he began to write the adventure tale that brought him great popularity.

Several years later, Robert dreamed the plot which he later turned into The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1886). Kidnapped was published the same year as Dr. Jekyll. He also published several collections of short stories.

Robert Louis Stevenson died of a stroke on December 3, 1894, at his home. As he had requested, the natives carried his body to the peak of Mount Vaea where they buried him. His poem, "Requiem" was engraved on his tombstone. The verse reads:
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me;
"Here he lies where he longed to be.
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill."

Sources:

Robert Louis Stevenson at http://www.garfield.k12.ut.us/PHS/Histor...

Robert Louis Stevenson by Richard Dury at: http://www.unibg.it/rls/bio.htm