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Robert Louis Stevenson
Born November 13, 1850 Edinburgh's New Town. Died December 3, 1894
Samoan island in the Pacific.
 Robert
Louis Stevenson was born to Thomas and Margaret Isabella Balfour
Stevenson in Edinburgh on 13 November 1850. From the beginning he
was very ill, and was attended by his faithful nurse, Alison
Cunningham, known as Cummy.
Cummy told Robert morbid stories about the Scots Presbyterian
martyrs, known as the Covenanters, penny-serial novels and Bible
stories.
As he grew up, Stevenson rebelled against the conventions of middle
class society. He changed the spelling of his name from 'Lewis' to
the French form, 'Louis', and, wearing his famous velvet coat, he
explored all aspects of the life which the city of Edinburgh
presented.
Stevenson wrote Treasure Island for his stepson in 1881. It's a tale
of pirates, a treasure map, a mutiny and a one legged sea cook.
Treasure Island remains one of literature's best loved adventure
stories.
Robert Louis Stevenson based much of this novel on fact and in many
ways it provides a very good description of pirates. There was never
a pirate named Long John Silver or a Captain Flint, there was a real
pirate named Israel Hands, who was second in command under
Blackbeard.
Treasure Island was published in 1883, although it had appeared
initially in Young Folks in serial form July 1881 to June 1882 under
the alternative title of The Sea-Cook or Treasure Island. |
