Across the Plains - Robert Louis Stevenson

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Biographie:
Robert Louis Stevenson (13 November 1850 - 3 December 1894) was a British novelist, poet, essayist, musician and travel writer. His most famous works are Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and A Child's Garden of Verses. He was a literary celebrity during his lifetime, and now ranks as the 26th most translated author in the world. His works have been admired by many other writers, including Jorge Luis Borges, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, and Jack London. Stevenson was a celebrity in his own time, but he was seen for much of the 20th century as a second-class writer. He became relegated to children's literature and horror genres, condemned by literary figures such as Virginia Woolf (daughter of his early mentor Leslie Stephen), and he was gradually excluded from the canon of literature taught in schools. His exclusion reached its nadir in the 1973 2,000-page Oxford Anthology of English Literature where he was entirely unmentioned, and The Norton Anthology of English Literature excluded him from 1968 to 2000 (1st-7th editions), including him only in the 8th edition (2006). The late 20th century brought a re-evaluation of Stevenson as an artist of great range and insight, a literary theorist, an essayist and social critic, a witness to the colonial history of the Pacific Islands, and a humanist. He was praised by Roger Lancelyn Green, one of the Oxford Inklings, as a writer of a consistently high level of literary skill or sheer imaginative power and a pioneer of the Age of the Story Tellers along with H. Rider Haggard. He is now evaluated as a peer of authors such as Joseph Conrad (whom Stevenson influenced with his South Seas fiction) and Henry James, with new scholarly studies and organisations devoted to him. Throughout the vicissitudes of his scholarly reception, Stevenson has remained popular worldwide. According to the Index Translationum, Stevenson is ranked the 26th most translated author in the world, ahead of Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe.

Sommaire:
Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850, in Edinburgh, Scotland, into a family of engineers, known for their work on lighthouses. His father, Thomas Stevenson, and grandfather, Robert Stevenson, were both prominent lighthouse engineers. Despite the expectation that he would follow in their footsteps, Robert's health and literary inclinations led him in a different direction. Stevenson's writing career began with essays and travel writing. His early works, such as An Inland Voyage (1878) and Travels with a Donkey in the C?vennes (1879), reflected his love of adventure and exploration. These books were well-received and established him as a talented writer. tevenson is best known for his novels, which include some of the most beloved works in English literature. His notable works include: Treasure Island (1883): A classic adventure novel that has captivated readers of all ages with its tale of pirates, treasure maps, and the young hero, Jim Hawkins. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886): A novella that explores the duality of human nature through the story of Dr. Jekyll, who transforms into the evil Mr. Hyde. This work has had a profound impact on literature and popular culture. Stevenson's writing is characterized by its vivid imagination, engaging storytelling, and exploration of complex themes. His works often blend adventure with deeper psychological and moral questions. Themes of duality, identity, and the conflict between good and evil are prevalent in his writing. Robert Louis Stevenson died on December 3, 1894, at the age of 44, due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Despite his relatively short life, Stevenson's literary legacy is immense. His works have been translated into numerous languages and continue to be widely read and adapted for stage and screen....