On November 13, 1850, Thomas Stevenson and Margaret Balfour welcomed their new baby boy to Edinburgh. They named him Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson. He was their only child and was very sick growing up.
     Thomas would entertain his son by telling him stories of ships, sailors, and robbers. Soon Robert was making up his own stories and Thomas became very interested. Robert and his father had a playful relationship. Robert saw the softer side of his father and they kept up a playful banter between them.
     When Robert was just seventeen, he enrolled in Edinburgh University. At first, he studied engineering to follow his father and family’s footsteps. He was the last in a long line of Stevensons who were engineers and built lighthouses. But, he changed his mind and began to study law. In 1875, he finished college but had made up his mind that he wanted to be a writer. He traveled to London, then to France where he met his future wife, Fanny.
     Fanny was married but thinking of divorce when she met Robert, but they had a secret relationship. He considered marrying her, but had to wait for the divorce and his parents’ approval. Fanny was more than ten years older than Robert and had a child, but Robert saw her good character and on May19, 1880, after the divorce went through, they were married in San Francisco.
     Robert was ill at this time from all that traveling and couldn’t work much, so Fanny had to make the money. His uncle, a doctor, advised on moving to the High Alps, so the family packed up and moved. Then, in 1881, the family moved to Scotland and Robert became ill again. They now knew that they would have to move south.
     The Stevensons moved to Davos, where they had been before when Robert was sick. They stayed in a hotel where Robert entertained himself and his stepson, Lloyd, with engraving wood for a printing press that became both their hobbies.
     By May, the family had moved back to Edinburgh, but Robert got sick again and went to London to talk to his doctor, Dr. Clark. Clark suggested moving north. They stayed there for a month until Robert suffered a hemorrhage. Clark then said that they should go to a Southern climate, so they went to France. Robert was still ill, though, and when a fever broke out, Fanny sent him to Nice. From there, they went to Hyeres, and then ended back up in England.
     Back in England, Robert took care of his father, who had suffered numerous strokes. Robert continued to have hemorrhages and he spent a lot of time in bed. Then on May 8, 1887, Robert’s father, Thomas, died. Because Robert had a cold, he wasn’t allowed to go to the funeral. Now that he didn’t have to care for his father, he wanted to move to wherever would be best for his health. His uncle, Dr. Balfour, suggested Colorado.
     In the spring, Robert felt so good that he considered taking a “long sea voyage” on a yacht. Robert invited his mother to come along as well and they were off. The sea greatly helped Robert’s health and the trip inspired many more stories.
     When they arrived in Hawaii, the Stevensons settled on the shore. They were there for six months before sailing again on the schooner Equator. They came to Samoa where Robert stayed for the rest of his life. They built a house and had Samoans and friends stay with them.
     On December 3, 1894, Robert began working on a chapter of his current book, Weir of Hermiston. Afterwards, he answered letters then played a game of cards with his wife. When he came from getting Burgundy in the cellar, he collapsed to his knees beside Fanny. He died that same evening at 8:10 p.m.
     Robert Louis Stevenson wrote in many genres. Some people say that the only thing he didn’t write was a Victorian novel. He has written poems, plays, essays, a biography, short stories, etc. He had the ability to establish a relationship with the reader and get them emotionally involved with his work.

Bibliography

Calder, Jenni. Robert Louis Stevenson A Life Study. Oxford University Press, Inc. 1980.
Daiches, David. Robert Louis Stevenson and his world. Thames and Hudson London. 1973.
Dury, Richard. Robert Louis Stevenson Life and Works Outline. On-line. Internet. http://www.unibg.it/rls/bio.htm.
Hennessy, James Pope. Robert Louis Stevenson. Simon and Schuster New York. 1974.

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