Robert Louis Stevenson

1. Robert Louis Stevenson “Every heart that has beat strong and cheerfully has left a hopeful impulse behind it in the world.”

2. 1850-1894 A literary celebrity during his lifetime, Stevenson now ranks among the 30 most translated authors in the world, just below Charles Dickens.

3. His Greatest Works There are few readers of English who have not read something by Robert Louis Stevenson. Treasure Island Kidnapped The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

4. A century ago, many people thought that Stevenson was the most important writer in the English-speaking world.

5. A Life of Contradictions The famed author of swashbuckling adventure stories was actually a frail, sickly man who spent years fighting a mysterious lung disease. His travels through the world were as much a search for climate that might improve his health as they were wanderlust. “Books are good enough in their own way, but they are a mighty bloodless substitute for life.”

6. Background Stevenson was an only child. His parents expected him to be a lighthouse architect like his father. But, he abandoned his engineering studies. His father insisted he get a law degree, which he did. But, he never practiced law. Instead he published essays and travel books. Although his parents were disappointed, they continued to support him financially.

7. A Shocking Marriage In 1873 in Paris, Stevenson met Fanny VandegriftOsbourne, a former Indiana farm-girl who was separated from her husband. Three years later, Stevenson travelled a grim journey across the Atlantic and across America to meet Fanny again California. They married. Penniless, Stevenson scrabbled out a desperate living for them in San Francisco.

8. Treasure Island Started as a game he created with Fanny’s son Lloyd, Stevenson wrote The Sea Cook, which eventually became Treasure Island. The publication of this novel was an immediate hit and made him famous.

9. On Writing • Stevenson believed the purpose of writing was to entertain, and he resisted what he saw as the pessimism and ugliness of realism.

10. Samoa In 1887, Stevenson returned to America from Switzerland. Unwell due to his lung ailments, Stevenson sailed with his family for the South Pacific. He settled in Samoa and built a house at Vailima, “the place of five waters.” He lived there for four years and became known by the Samoans as “Tusitala”, the Story Teller. When he died suddenly from a cerebral hemorrahage, he was borne to a mountaintop grave by the Samoans who loved him.

11. Writing Describe Keawe. What sort of man is he? Focus on the most important aspects of his character. ½ page