Robert louis stevensons childhood biography death

Robert louis stevenson education

Born and educated in Edinburgh, Stevenson suffered from serious bronchial trouble for much of his life but continued to write prolifically and travel widely in defiance of his poor health. In , he settled in Samoa where, alarmed at increasing European and American influence in the South Sea islands , his writing turned from romance and adventure fiction toward a darker realism.

He died of a stroke in his island home in at age A celebrity in his lifetime, Stevenson's critical reputation has fluctuated since his death, though today his works are held in general acclaim. In , he was ranked just behind Charles Dickens as the 26th-most-translated author in the world. Stevenson was born at 8 Howard Place, Edinburgh , Scotland, on 13 November to Thomas Stevenson — , a leading lighthouse engineer, and his wife, Margaret Isabella born Balfour, — He was christened Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson.

At about age 18, he changed the spelling of "Lewis" to "Louis", and he dropped "Balfour" in Lighthouse design was the family's profession; Thomas's father Robert's grandfather was the civil engineer Robert Stevenson , and Thomas's brothers Robert's uncles Alan and David were in the same field. However, Robert's mother's family were gentry , tracing their lineage back to Alexander Balfour, who had held the lands of Inchrye in Fife in the fifteenth century.

Stevenson spent the greater part of his boyhood holidays in his maternal grandfather's house.

Robert louis stevenson nationality

Lewis Balfour and his daughter both had weak chests, so they often needed to stay in warmer climates for their health. Stevenson inherited a tendency to coughs and fevers, exacerbated when the family moved to a damp, chilly house at 1 Inverleith Terrace in Illness was a recurrent feature of his adult life and left him extraordinarily thin. Stevenson's parents were both devout Presbyterians , but the household was not strict in its adherence to Calvinist principles.