Where was Robert Lewis Stevenson born? Robert Louis Stevenson: biography and best books
— English writer Scottish origin. Representative of English neo-romanticism
Born in Edinburgh November 13, 1850. His father was a hereditary engineer, his mother was a representative of an old family.
Stevenson wrote his first work in 1866 - this historical essay"Pentland Rebellion".
Stevenson received his education at the Edinburgh Academy, and from 1871 to 1875 at the University of Edinburgh, Faculty of Law. Having received upon completion educational institution a lawyer's degree, he, however, did not pursue practical activities in the field of jurisprudence.
During 1873-1879. He lived mainly in France, and his source of income was the modest earnings of a writer who was just beginning his career in literature, but showed promise. Traveling by kayak along the country's rivers allowed him to accumulate impressions, which he outlined in a book published in 1878. Stevenson's first work as an adult was a series of essays entitled "Journey into the Inland." In 1882, his “Etudes about Well-Familiar People and Books” were published.
In 1880, Stevenson was diagnosed with tuberculosis, which forced him to move to a more favorable climate. Having visited Southern France, Switzerland, England, and America, Stevenson and his family traveled around the South Pacific Ocean - both to improve his health and to collect materials for the next essays. After visiting the Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, Hawaii, and Australia, they decided to settle in Samoa for a long time.
The local climate turned out to be healing for Stevenson; in any case, the works that brought him world fame and made him a classic of the genre were written here. In 1883 the novel “ Treasure Island» — recognized masterpiece adventure literature. Subsequently, the novels “Kidnapped” (1886) and “The Owner of Ballantrae” (1889) appeared, which strengthened his reputation as a master of an entertaining plot and psychological accuracy in depicting images. In 1893, a collection of stories entitled “Evening Conversations on the Island” was published. Collections of poetry also came from his pen: “Children’s Flower Garden of Poems” (1885), “Ballads” (1890). Until the end of his life he remained an essayist and publicist. Very promising, according to researchers, Stevenson's last novel, Weir Hermiston, remained unfinished.
Robert Lewis Stevenson (English: Robert Louis Stevenson, originally Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson) - English writer and poet, Scottish by birth, author of world-famous adventure novels and stories, largest representative English neo-romanticism.
Robert Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, in the family of a hereditary engineer, a specialist in lighthouses. At baptism he received the name Robert Lewis Balfour. He studied first at the Edinburgh Academy, then at the Faculty of Law of the University of Edinburgh, from which he graduated in 1875. At the age of 18, he abandoned the word Balfour in his name, and changed the spelling of the word Lewis from Lewis to Louis (without changing the pronunciation).
He traveled a lot, although he suffered from a severe form of tuberculosis since childhood. From 1890 he lived on the Samoan Islands. The first book, The Pentland Rebellion, was published in 1866. World fame The writer brought the novel “Treasure Island” (1883, Russian translation, 1886) - a classic example of adventure literature. This was followed by historical adventure novels: the novels “Prince Otto” (“Prince Otto” 1885, Russian translation 1886), “Kidnapped” (“Kidnapped” 1886, Russian translation 1901), “Black Arrow” (“ The Black Arrow" 1888, Russian. lane 1889), “The Master of Ballantrae” (The Master of Ballantrae 1889, Russian translation 1890), “Catriona” (“Catriona” 1893, Russian translation 1901), “St. Ives”, completed after Stevenson's death by A. Quiller Kuch 1897, Russian translation 1898). All these novels are distinguished by a combination of exciting adventurous plots, deep penetration into history and subtle psychological study of the characters. The last novel Stevenson's Weir of Hermiston (1896), which promised to be his masterpiece, remained unfinished.
With his stepson Lloyd Osborne, Stevenson wrote novels from modern life“Ultimate Baggage” (“The Wrong Box” 1889, Russian translation 2004), “The Wrecker” (“The Wrecker 1892, Russian translation 1896, this novel was especially appreciated by H. Borges), “Ebb Tide” (“The Ebb-Tide" 1894).
Stevenson is the author of several collections of stories: “New Arabian Nights” (1882, Russian translation 1901, here the popular image of Florizel, the Prince of Bohemia is introduced), “More New Arabian Nights” , co-authored with F. Stevenson, the writer’s wife, 1885), “The Merry Men, and others Tales”, 1887), “Evening Conversations on the Island” (“Island Night’s Entertainments” 1893, Russian translation 1901).
Along with “Treasure Island,” the most famous among Stevenson’s works is the psychological story “ Strange story Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” 1886, Russian translation 1888).
Stevenson also acted as a poet (collections “Children’s Flower Garden of Poems” 1885, “Ballads” 1890, the ballad “Heather Honey” translated by S. Marshak is very popular in Russia), essayist and publicist.
Stevenson's works were translated into Russian by K. Balmont, V. Bryusov, I. Kashkin, K. Chukovsky.
English literature
Robert Louis Stevenson
Biography
STEVENSON, ROBERT LOUIS (Stevenson, Robert Louis) (1850−1894), English writer of Scottish origin. Born 13 November 1850 in Edinburgh. After leaving school he entered the University of Edinburgh. Having chosen law, he received the title of lawyer, but hardly ever practiced.
In 1873-1879 he lived mainly in France on the meager earnings of a promising writer and rare money transfers from home, and became his own man in the “towns” of French artists. He made a canoe trip along the rivers of France, described in his first published book, An Inland Voyage (1878), and a hiking trip, described in Travels with a Donkey in the Cvennes (1879). In the village of Dreams, where artists gathered, he met Frances Matilda (Vandegrift) Osborne, an American ten years older than him, who was interested in painting. After separating from her husband, she lived with her children in Europe. Stevenson fell in love with her dearly, and as soon as the divorce was obtained, on May 19, 1880, the lovers were married in San Francisco. Their living together was marked by Fanny's constant care for her sick husband. Stevenson became friends with her children, and subsequently his stepson (Samuel) Lloyd Osborne co-authored three of his books: The Wrong Box (1889), The Ebb-Tide (1894) and The Wrecker (1892).
In 1880, Stevenson was diagnosed with tuberculosis. In search of a healing climate, he visited Switzerland, the south of France, Bournemouth (England) and in 1887-1888 Saranac Lake in New York State. Partly due to poor health, partly to collect material for essays, Stevenson went on a yacht to the South Pacific with his wife, mother and stepson. They visited the Marquesas Islands, Tuamotu, Tahiti, Hawaii, Micronesia and Australia and purchased a plot of land in Samoa, deciding to settle in the tropics for a long time to save money. He named his possession Vailima (Pyatirechye).
The island's climate did him good: some of his best works were written in the spacious plantation house at Vailima. In the same house on December 3, 1894, he died suddenly. Samoan admirers buried him on the top of a nearby mountain. On gravestone words from his famous Testament are inscribed (“Under the vast starry sky»).
Success famous books Stevenson is partly due to the fascination of the themes covered in them: pirate adventures in Treasure Island (1883), horror fiction in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) and childish enthusiasm in A Child's Garden of Verses, 1885. However, in addition to these merits, it should be noted the rapid character drawing of John Silver, the density of syllables in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, sparkles of irony in the Children's Flower Garden of Poems, testifying to the versatility of his talent.
My literary activity he began with essays, written in a relaxed manner, which were extremely valued at that time, and never changed this genre. His articles on writers and the art of writing - A Humble Remonstrance (1884), Dreams (1888), On Some Technical Elements literary style(On Some Technical Elements of Style in Literature, 1885), etc. - bring him closer to G. James. In travel notes Traveling with a Donkey, The Silverado Squatters (1883) and In the South Seas (In the South Seas, 1890) masterfully recreated the local color, and the latter are of particular interest to researchers. Stevenson's little-known literary anecdotes rank among the most caustic, witty and laconic in English literature. He wrote poems occasionally and rarely took them seriously.
To enter the world of some of Stevenson's works - Kidnapped (1886) and its sequel Catriona (1893; magazine version by David Balfour), The Master of Ballantrae (1889), Merry fellows(The Merry Men, 1882), Thrawn Janet (1881), - the reader will need at least a superficial acquaintance with the language and history of Scotland. Almost all of them - with the exception of Damned Janet, a little gem in the ghost story genre - are unevenly written. The Black Arrow (1883) and St. Ives (1897) are conspicuous failures. Error and The Suicide Club (1878), as well as the stories that follow them (some co-written by Fanny), will not be to everyone's taste. However, The Beach of Falesa is one of best stories, ever written about the South Seas, and the island fantasies The Bottle Imp (1891) and The Isle of Voices (1893), often published with it, are extremely entertaining. It is generally accepted that Weir of Hermiston (1896) could have become one of the great novels of the 19th century, but Stevenson managed to complete only a third of the book.
Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on November 13, 1850, the son of an engineer. After graduating from school, he entered the University of Edinburgh to study engineering, but later transferred to law, where in 1875 he received the title of lawyer.
The first book, called by the author “The Pentland Rebellion. Page of History, 1666,” was published in a circulation of only one hundred copies with his father’s money in 1866. During 1873-1879. Stevenson lives mainly in France, working as a writer for pennies. Interested in painting, communicates with French artists. He travels a lot, which he describes in his books: 1878 - “Journey into the Inland”, 1879 - “Travel with a Donkey”.
In 1880 he married Frances Matilda (Vandegrift) Osborne, a divorced American woman with children who was interested in painting. Due to tuberculosis (diagnosed in 1880), the writer and his family often move, trying to find a suitable climate. They visit Switzerland, live a little in the south of France, England and America. Then, taking with him his wife, mother and stepson, Stevenson sets off on a yacht to travel around southern regions Pacific Ocean. And in the end, they buy land on one of the Samoan islands and settle there for a long time, calling their estate Vailima (Pyatirechye).
In this large plantation house, the writer composed some of his best works. He died suddenly there on December 3, 1894. He was buried at the top of Mount Weah.
Stevenson's books have big success what can be explained exciting topics: pirate adventures (“Treasure Island”), fantasy, horror (“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”), etc. But one also cannot fail to note the density of his style, sparkles of irony and how beautifully he outlined the characters of the heroes of his works and masterfully recreated the flavor of the places he wrote about.
(1850-1894) English writer, critic and publicist
Biography of Robert Louis Stevenson, a man of courageous character and dramatic fate, excited the imagination of his contemporaries along with his works. His name and life are covered in legends. Immediately after the writer’s death, his lengthy biographies, articles and essays were published with sensational guesses about various episodes of Stevenson’s life.
Modern literary criticism sees in him the founder, theorist and leading figure of English romanticism of the last quarter of the 19th century, called neo-romanticism.
The writer contrasted the bourgeois world of the pursuit of wealth, the world of self-interest and falsehood with the exoticism of adventure and the romance of high impulses towards goodness and justice.
Having lived only 44 years, Robert Louis Stevenson left readers more than 30 volumes of works of various genres and themes.
He realized his calling as a writer very early, already in his childhood. He always had two books stuck in his pocket: he read one, and in the other he kept notes of the exact words, details, and lines of poetry that struck him. It was a school of excellence. He wrote a lot, imitating famous writers, “being an ape,” as he himself said. This developed literary taste, a sense of harmony and professional technique.
Robert Stevenson was born into political and cultural center Scotland - the city of Edinburgh, like Walter Scott. His grandfather was a prominent civil engineer who built bridges, lighthouses and breakwaters. In the painting of the famous English artist John Turner depicts the Devil's Fist lighthouse he built on Bell Rock in eastern Scotland. For his glorious buildings, my grandfather was awarded a coat of arms. His sons continued their father's work. The grandson valued his family's pedigree, but he chose a different path.
Mother belonged to the glorious old family of Balfour, was the daughter of a priest. Robert, only child in the family, since childhood he suffered from bronchial disease, which often confined him to his bed and plunged him into a painful state.
Robert Stevenson studied for some time at the University of Edinburgh, agreeing with his father’s wish to continue the family engineering tradition, and even received a silver medal for a competitive essay on fire for lighthouses, then he decisively changed his profession as an engineer to a lawyer and received the title of lawyer, but his soul was already alive in full force dream of literature. The aspiring writer’s first experience was a thin book, written by a 16-year-old boy and published at his father’s expense, about the peasant uprising in Scotland in 1666.
In 1876, together with a friend, Robert went on a kayak trip along the rivers and canals of Belgium and France to Paris. The young man knew French language and literature very well. On his return to Edinburgh he published "An Inland Journey" (1876) - travel essays, whose style will be picked up by Jerome. K. Jerome in the book “Three in a Boat”, where in the outline travel notes a critical look at existing world of things.
In a number of articles, Robert Stevenson reflects on the tasks of art and gives main role not a realistic reproduction of life, but the realm of imagination. Let the writer be captivated by the story that the reader never real life will not experience it. To a certain extent, this came from Stevenson’s rejection of mercantile reality. He tried to develop in people best feelings- impatience, daring, determination, nobility.
He had long been fascinated by the personality of the most talented poet of France, Francois Villon - a knight of honor, a tramp, a drunkard and a thief, in whom good and evil were mixed. In 1877, the story “The Night of François Villon” appeared in print, in which, against the backdrop of winter Paris in 1456, the tragic fate of an unusually talented poet was depicted - the first piece of art Stevenson.
Under the title “The New Thousand and One Nights” (1882), the writer creates a witty parody of craft adventure literature. The new "Tales of Shahrazad" consisted of two books - "The Suicide Club" and "The Rajah's Diamond". In the second book, in a fantastic story about a priceless diamond, the possession of which turns the rough colonial soldier Thomas Vandeleur into a famous socialite, a profitable suitor, Robert Stevenson subtly portrayed how true values are replaced by false ones under the influence of the magical evil force contained in the coveted stone. The tales contained wise hints about serious problems life of English society.
In 1878, accompanied by a donkey dragging luggage without any pleasure, Robert Louis Stevenson set off along historical places guerrilla warfare French Protestants for their independence and beliefs. He talked about this in “Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes” (1879).
In “Studies about People and Books” he draws portraits. Readers appreciated the skill graceful style young author and the talent of a storyteller about extraordinary adventures. An unexpected trip to New York, prompted by a letter from the woman he dearly loved, almost cost Stevenson his life. He crossed the ocean and rode on horseback from San Francisco to Monterey. On the way, he fell ill and a local hunter found him lying unconscious under a tree. On the brink of life and death, Robert Stevenson will find himself in America more than once. He married Fanny, who finally got a divorce from her dissolute husband, returned to his homeland and published the book “House on the Dunes” - best work early period creativity. In an entertaining story, Stevenson revealed a meaningful topic: using the example of very bright and strong characters two heroes - Frank Cassilis and Northmore - showed the failure of the individualism and selfishness of the traditional romantic hero.
Robert Stevenson's desire to create a novel came true completely by accident. While drawing something one day, his stepson Lloyd asked him to write something interesting. Carried away, Stevenson sketched the contours of an imaginary island that resembled a “rising fat dragon.” The result is a map of the fictional “Treasure Island”. This map gave birth to the plot.
“The Ship's Cook” was the first title of the novel. Its chapters were read in the family circle, and some of what was suggested by the listeners was included in the text. The work was published with a dedication to the boy - Lloyd Osborne. The public greeted the novel enthusiastically, magazine critics - in different ways, from condescending approval to high praise. The plot is based on the search for countless treasures hidden by the famous pirate Captain Flint. Residents of a provincial town: the boy Jim, his innkeeper father and the tavern regulars - find themselves faced with mysterious events, get involved in a risky adventure and become heroes of tempting and dangerous adventures. The boy finds himself in extremely dangerous situations, looks death in the eye, acts decisively and independently; his courage, enthusiastic devotion to his dream, and moral purity set the tone for the entire book. Jim and his friends face marauding pirates, bandits and scoundrels rather than noble corsairs. And in this world of evil, his hero discovers true spiritual treasures.
Robert Stevenson loved Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe and saw its merits not so much in the chain of incidents as in the “charm of circumstance.” And he built his novel not so much on the effect of purely external action, but on the psychological authenticity and persuasiveness of living pictures. Stevenson's skill in the ability to paint such a convex picture is so convincing that we constantly feel involved in what is happening.
The traditional adventurous plot - pirates, treasures, sea adventures, a lost island - turned out to be completely unconventional thanks to the sharpness and open-mindedness of the hero-storyteller Jim Hawkins. The characters are depicted visibly and convincingly.
The author's special success is the image of John Silver. Polemicsizing the traditional idea of the victory of good and the depravity of evil, Stevenson paints an attractive image of the lonely ship's cook Silver - treacherous, evil, cruel, but smart, energetic and dexterous.
The vitality of evil and the insidious attractiveness of vice had previously interested and worried Robert Stevenson. In 1885 he read in French translation Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” and was shocked by the power of imagination, the mystical duality of good and evil in human nature.
In “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1886), the doctor, using a drug he invented, separates the dark forces of his soul, and his double is born - the ugly dwarf Mr. Hyde, who commits crimes one after another and does not experience pangs of conscience, no doubts - only a feeling of anger and fear.
Techniques science fiction and the detective story developed by Robert Stevenson in this story were adopted by H. G. Wells in The Invisible Man.
The theme of Scotland's struggle with England for independence and even more distant pages of history - the enmity of the Scarlet and White Roses - were presented on the pages of the novels "Kidnapped", "Catriona" and "Black Arrow".
In Kidnapped and Catriona, Stevenson tells the story of a young Scot, David Balfour, whose inheritance is stolen by his uncle. An encounter with violence and deceit gives rise to young hero not despair, but youthful determination and courage. After experiencing many adventures, David finds happiness with Catriona.
In 1888, the time had come for Robert Louis Stevenson to travel on the ocean. Over the course of two years, he visited several archipelagos in the Pacific Ocean. These were the places where the famous Cook traveled and died, where there were also Russians who committed circumnavigation where Herman Melville wandered, famous writer, where Jack London later sailed on the Snark, where there was “Robinson Crusoe Island.” Feeling renewed, Stevenson completed work on one of his best works, “The Owner of Ballantrae” (1889), a tragedy novel, as the author himself defined its genre. The writer explored the causes of the tragedy of two rival brothers, who embodied directly opposite principles in their characters: strength, devilish luck and depravity of one and decency, honesty, but lifelessness, amorphism of the other. The action takes place in Scotland in the 18th century, in places well known to the author.
Hoping to improve his health, Robert Stevenson settles on the island of Upolu (Samoa) and goes on his third voyage to the ocean. He works a lot and creates, shaken by a cough and rolling around with fatigue, “The Castaways” (1892), “David Balfour”, “Catriona” (1893), in which he contrasted selfishness and cruelty with spiritual nobility and moral purity. In all these works his homeland, Scotland, is ever present. The writer continues to work on the novels “St. Ives” and “Weir Hermiston.”
In the collection “Evening Conversations on the Island,” he reflected the exotic impressions of a trip to the islands, where he met Samoans and read them his story “The Satanic Bottle.” They called him Tusitala, that is, the Storyteller, and believed that he possessed a magical vessel, which was kept in his safe. Samoans carefully preserved the memory of the writer also because Robert Louis Stevenson spoke out in defense of the local population from the outrages of the colonialists and for several years published his articles in defense of peace and justice in Time. He visits a leper camp and exposes the hypocrisy of church ministers to the press.
The fate and history of Scotland rings a bell in the heart of the writer. He highly valued the role historical memory people in creating the future. In his mind there arose the idea of “a real historical novel, covering the entire era and the people, our people...” The title was decided - “The Tramp”, but it was taken away right hand, bleeding from the throat became more frequent. And then there was a brain hemorrhage.
Robert Stevenson's body covered in English national flag, was solemnly buried on Mount Weah. Here, to the grave of his beloved writer, Jack London sailed on the yacht “Snark” in 1908. He walked through the storms, standing at the helm and proud of his victory over the elements. With difficulty, together with his wife Charmian, he made his way through the dense thicket to the top of the mountain. Charmian was perplexed as to how Stevenson's coffin could be delivered to such a height, and Jack told her that while carrying out last will An adored man who wished to be buried on this peak, several hundred islanders worked all night cutting a road through the thickets. And in the morning, the tribal leaders solemnly carried him here on their shoulders, accompanied by thousands of admirers of the writer.
Robert Louis Stevenson (birth name Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson) was born on November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father Thomas belonged to a family of engineers who built most of the deep sea lighthouses around the Scottish coast.
In 1867 he entered the University of Edinburgh, but despite family tradition study natural sciences in order to become a civil engineer, he spent more time French literature, history of Scotland. Ultimately choosing law, he graduated from the university in 1875 and received the title of lawyer.
At the age of 18, Stevenson abandoned his baptismal name. He completely eliminated the name Balfour, and changed the spelling of the name Lewis from Lewis to Louis, but the pronunciation did not change.
His first successes in the literary field and poor health convinced him to prefer literature to the legal profession. In the late 1870s, he traveled through France, Germany and his native Scotland, as a result of which his first two books of travel impressions appeared - "Trips within the Country" (1878) and "Travels with a Donkey" (1879). The “essays” written during this period were collected by him in 1881 in a book with the Latin title Virginibus Puerisque.
A turning point in Stevenson's personal life was a meeting in September 1876 with a 36-year-old married American woman, Fanny Osborne, who was interested in painting. She divorced her husband in 1878 and married Stevenson in 1880. Stevenson became friends with her children, and subsequently his stepson Lloyd Osborne co-authored his books Mistake (1889), Low Tide (1894) and The Castaways (1892).
In 1880, Stevenson was diagnosed with tuberculosis. In search of a healing climate, he visited Switzerland, the south of France, Bournemouth (England), and from 1887 to 1888 he lived in Saranac Lake in New York State (USA). Partly due to poor health, partly to collect material for essays, Stevenson went on a yacht to the South Pacific with his wife, mother and stepson. They visited the Marquesas Islands, Tuamotu, Tahiti, Hawaii, Micronesia and Australia and purchased a plot of land in Samoa, deciding to settle in the tropics for a long time to save money. He named his possession Vailima (Pyatirechye). The island's climate benefited the writer: some of his best works were written in the spacious plantation house in Vailima.
Stevenson published a collection of critical articles, Familiar Studies of Men and Books. Soon after that they left separate publication stories published in London Magazine, "New Arabian tales" (1882).
The novel "Treasure Island" (1883, Russian translation - 1886), which became a classic example of adventure literature, brought the writer worldwide fame. The novel is based on the life story of the famous Indian Ocean pirate William Kidd, who was executed in 1701.
Then the action-packed novels “Kidnapped” (1886), “The Owner of Ballantrae” (1889), “Shipwrecked” (1892), and “Catriona” (1893) were written, where the world of profit and self-interest is contrasted with purity of thoughts and high morality. In the historical novels "Prince Otto" (1885), "Black Arrow" (1888), the romance of adventure is combined with an accurate recreation of local color and historical situation. Stevenson's psychological story "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1886) provides a classic English literature solution to the double theme.
Stevenson published collections of poems "Children's Flower Garden of Poems" (1885), "Undergrowth" (1887), etc. His children's poems and ballads in the spirit of folk poetry are distinguished by simple and clear language.
On December 3, 1894, Robert Stevenson died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was buried on one of the Samoan islands.
After the writer's death, the novels Weir Hermiston, Saint Ives and others were published.
Stevenson revived the adventure and historical novel in England. But he was interested in adventure for adventure's sake. IN historical novel he refused to depict major social events, limiting his works to showing the adventures of heroes, for which history serves only as an incidental background.
In December 1969, the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum was opened in Vailima, Samoa. The museum is located in the house where Stevenson spent last years his life (1890-1894).
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
