Robert Louis Stevenson | |
|---|---|
 Stevenson in 1893 | |
| Born | Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson 13 November 1850 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 3 December 1894 (aged 44) Vailima, Upolu, Samoa |
| Resting place | Mount Vaea |
| Occupation |
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| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Literary movement | Neo-romanticism |
| Notable works | |
| Spouse | |
| Parents | Thomas Stevenson (father) |
| Relatives | Robert Stevenson (paternal grandfather) Lloyd Osbourne (stepson) Isobel Osbourne (stepdaughter) Edward Salisbury Field (stepson-in-law) |
| Signature | |
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Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped and A Child's Garden of Verses.
Born and educated in Edinburgh, Stevenson suffered from serious bronchial trouble for much of his life but continued to write prolifically and travel widely in defiance of his poor health. As a young man, he mixed in London literary circles, receiving encouragement from Sidney Colvin, Andrew Lang, Edmund Gosse,[1] Leslie Stephen and W. E. Henley, the last of whom may have provided the model for Long John Silver in Treasure Island. In 1890, he settled in Samoa where, alarmed at increasing European and American influence in the South Sea islands, his writing turned from romance and adventure fiction toward a darker realism. He died of a stroke in his island home in 1894 at age 44.[2]
A celebrity in his lifetime, Stevenson's critical reputation has fluctuated since his death, though today his works are held in general acclaim. In 2018, he was ranked just behind Charles Dickens as the 26th-most-translated author in the world.[3]
- ^ Gosse, Edmund William (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). pp. 907–910.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Osborn, Jacob. "49 most-translated authors from around the world". Stacker. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.