Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on the 13th November 1850. His father was a lighthouse keeper and Robert believed that it was from him he got his love for the sea and adventure. On the other hand it seems that from his mother he inherited only his weak lungs, and Robert spent most of his life fighting for his health.

When he was 17 he started at Edinburgh university but he soon realised that he didn't want to study science. Instead he loved travel and writing and his father gave him permission to try a career in literature, but only after he had studied and passed his law exams, just in case his writing failed.

Robert spent his winters away from Scotland in warmer climates, again for health reasons. It was while in France in 1876 that he met and fell in love with Fanny Osborne. Unfortunately she was already married and a few months later had to return to California, USA. Robert was heartbroken and when he found out that she was very ill he decided to travel to California to be with her. For a man with his serious health problems this was not a great idea, but Robert was a romantic and so sailed to the USA without even telling his family. He finally arrived in San Francisco in 1879 in a terrible physical state and indeed it was Fanny, now divorced, who helped him to recover.

In May 1880 he married Fanny, and in August of the same year he returned to Britain to present his new wife and her son from her previous marriage to his parents.
During the next 7 years he travelled between Britain and France, always looking for somewhere where he could stay healthy, despite which he managed to produce some of his best work. These books include Treasure Island, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Kidnapped.

In 1887 his father died and this was an event that changed his life. Now he decided to travel more extensively in search of the climate that would allow him to live a healthier life. He took his mother and family to America and sailed a great deal in the South Pacific. He visited Hawaii, Tahiti, The Samoan Islands and many other places. He made lots of new friends and in 1890 bought some land in Samoa where he built himself a home.

Here he continued writing such works as The Beach of Felesa, David Balfour and Weir of Hermiston, which he never finished, but also became involved in local politics and was greatly respected by the native population.

On the 3rd December 1894 he died suddenly, probably from a brain haemorrhage, aged only 44. The natives were very upset at this news and kept watch over his body during the night, then the next morning carried his body to the top of a cliff, where they buried him.