THEY called him "the teller of tales" and when Robert Louis Stevenson's extraordinary life was cut short his neighbours and friends on the Samoan island where he lived cut a path through the jungle and, in tribute, carried his body on their shoulders to its final resting place atop a mountain overlooking the sea.
The author, essayist, poet, musician and traveller, was just 44. Tomorrow, 167 years after his birth, Scotland celebrates and commemorates his life and work on RLS Day, bringing to a conclusion a week of events honouring the rebellious and brilliant Edinburgh-born polymath.
Stevenson was a garlanded celebrity in his own time but his works have outlived him, and three of them – Kidnapped, Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde – remain among the most famous in the English language.
Linda Dryden, professor of English Literature at Edinburgh Napier University and co-founder of RLS Day, said: “We felt that although Edinburgh seems to celebrate Walter Scott and Robert Burns, it had very little in terms of Robert Louis Stevenson.”
RLS Day, started in 2011 is supported by a host of literary and artistic figures including writers Ian Rankin and Louise Welsh as well as actors John Sessions and Nigel Planer.
The day opens tomorrow at 10am with a five-mile walk from Hawes Inn, South Queensferry, to Cramond which was mentioned in Kidnapped. Most of the events are free with the exception of afternoon tea at Stevenson's childhood home in Heriot Row.
Ali Bowden, Director of the City of Literature Trust, said: “As one of Edinburgh’s best-loved authors, we are delighted to see that interest surrounding his life and work continues to grow, especially in this year’s programme curated by the Robert Louis Stevenson Club, a society dedicated to fostering interest in Stevenson and his work worldwide.”
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