Events Programme 2023
Stevenson and the Rebel Poet 

typewronger books, 4a haddington place, edinburgh
7pm, Wednesday november 8

SUCH was the wild and rebellious reputation of Walt Whitman in Victorian Britain that Robert Louis Stevenson had to leave his copy of Leaves of Grass with his Leith Street tobacconist, for fear his parents might discover it. Yet Whitman’s distinctive voice came as a breath of fresh air into straitlaced Edinburgh and Stevenson responded with enthusiasm, championing the cause of a poet ‘bespattered with praise by his admirers, and cruelly mauled and mangled by irreverent enemies’. In revisiting Stevenson’s groundbreaking essay on Whitman, Robert-Louis Abrahamson examines the impact the American poet had on RLS, how Whitman responded – and how the father of free verse may still influence poets today. To hear Abrahamson’s earlier podcasts on Whitman, click on the picture.

Magical Maps

WRITERS’ MUSEUM, EDINBUrGH, 2pm-4pm, Saturday november 11

CREATE your very own Treasure Island map as we
prepare to celebrate Robert Louis Stevenson’s 173rd
birthday later this weekend. Just drop in anytime
between 2pm and 4pm at the Writers’ Museum for
a fun-filled map-making activity with Delaney, drawing
inspiration from Stevenson’s swashbuckling adventure
novel. See if you can improve on the original map pictured
here, first published when the book appeared 140 years
ago on November 14, 1883.

RLS – A Life in Letters

WRITERS’ MUSEUM, EDINBUrGH, 2PM, SUNDAY NOVEMBER 12

ROBERT Louis Stevenson the author is famous worldwide, but RLS the letter writer is less well known. Yet many of his letters, nearly 3,000 of which survive, are literary gems. Stevenson was the most un-Victorian of Victorian authors and his letters read as if he were writing in the 21st century, painting  pictures as fresh as the day they were written. Enjoy a selection of them as members and friends of the Robert Louis Stevenson Club take you on a journey through Stevenson’s rich and varied life, from Edinburgh to France, America and the South Seas. If you missed this event and would like to see a full transcript, click on the picture.

A Writer of Note

typewronger books, 4a haddington place, edinburgh
7pm, sunday november 12

DESPITE somewhat limited talents as a musician, Robert Louis Stevenson has inspired composers worldwide to set his words and stories to music, from the classical works of Ralph Vaughan Williams to the film scores of Howard Blake and the Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde. But like Burns, RLS was also steeped in the folk tradition of his country, where various artists have turned his verses into songs. Join folk singer and Stevenson aficionado Jeremy Hodges for a musical tribute to the literary genius who was also a ham-fisted tickler of the ivories and inveterate tootler on the flageolet. Click on the picture to hear his composition entitled Aberlady Links – or for a full list, complete with sound files, of Stevenson’s compositions, click here. 

Keen and Eager Spirits
Robert Louis Stevenson and William Brassey Hole

scottish national gallery, 12.45pm, Monday November 13

ROBERT Louis Stevenson heaped praise on the illustrations that the painter and etcher William Brassey Hole produced for The Master of Ballantrae. While Stevenson remains a household name, Hole’s reputation has mostly faded from public memory. His best-known works today are the dazzling murals in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Join curator Liz Louis on Robert Louis Stevenson Day for an exploration of the friendship between the writer and the artist, their collaboration on Stevenson’s books and their surprising connection to the theatre-loving inventor of the aerial cable car. Free tickets must be pre-booked by clicking on Hole’s picture, or to enjoy the event live online click here.

A Friendship in Letters
Robert Louis Stevenson & JM Barrie

WRITERS’ MUSEUM, EDINBUrGH, 2PM, MONDAY NOVEMBER 13

THE correspondence between two of Scotland’s most famous writers reveals a remarkable literary friendship. Stevenson and Barrie never met, yet they developed a meeting of  creative minds through letters that are witty, playful and poignant. Taken from the eponymous book compiled by Michael Shaw, performed by John Shedden and Peter Berry. Free, unticketed.

Remediating Stevenson

st cecilia’s hall, 50 niddry street, edinburgh
6.30-8.00pm, Monday november 13 

ENJOY an unforgettable night of music, poetry and literary history as we remember the legacy of Robert Louis Stevenson on both Scottish and Sāmoan culture. Polynesian poets Selina Tusitala Marsh, Caroline Sinavaiana Gabbard and R. Keao NeSmith will share works inspired by Stevenson, accompanied by Douglas Macmillan performing the unique flageolet pieces Stevenson composed after moving to the South Pacific for his health towards the end of his life. Commentary on Stevenson’s relationship to Sāmoa and its musical heritage will be provided by Professor Emma Sutton of the University of St Andrews, as well as the research team of the Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project, Remediating Stevenson: Decolonising Robert Louis Stevenson’s Pacific Fiction through Graphic Adaptation, Arts Education and Community Engagement. Tickets are free but must be booked beforehand via the link here.

Finding Treasure Island

ONLINE BOOK LAUNCH, 7PM, Monday November 13

WHEN Robert Louis Stevenson began writing Treasure Island in a cottage in Braemar, his young partner in this literary adventure was his step-son Lloyd Osbourne, who looked forward to hearing a new chapter read aloud each evening. Now the genesis of the story has inspired Robin Scott-Elliot to write a new book for children in which RLS, Sam and a mysterious girl called Jen Hawkins go searching for treasure in the Scottish Highlands. Be among the first to hear Robin read from the book by registering for this special RLS Day launch online. For details and to reserve your spot, click on the picture of the book. Or to meet Robin, come to a pre-RLS Day event at 7pm on Friday November 3 at The Hub in Helensburgh.

Celebrating The Light Keeper

FINGAL, alexandra dock, leith 

TO celebrate Robert Louis Stevenson Day, guests arriving at a luxury floating hotel in Leith will find a poem by RLS in their cabin.  The former lighthouse tender Fingal once served the lighthouses built by Stevenson’s grandfather, father, uncles and cousins, and their achievement is celebrated in the poem called The Light Keeper. The Lighthouse Restaurant and Bar aboard Fingal will also be serving a special Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde cocktail, all week. To read the poem, click on the picture.

Muse and Madonna

SHE remains a woman of mystery in Stevenson’s life, with a world of tragedy behind the sad eyes sketched by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones. Trapped in an unhappy marriage and grieving for the loss of a son, Fanny Sitwell found solace in the friendship of the young, aspiring writer who fell desperately in love with her, sending long, impassioned letters to the muse he called his ‘Madonna’. Stevenson clearly wished their relationship would go beyond the platonic, but what were her feelings for him? His letters to her, cherished in a rosewood casket, have survived – but at her insistence he destroyed her side of the correspondence. So what are we to make of Mrs Sitwell? Ali Bacon, author of a novel about her relationship with RLS and his mentor Sidney Colvin, who became her second husband, shared some of her conclusions with the Stevenson and Pleasure conference at the Universite Bordeaux Montaigne. To hear her talk, click on the portrait. Full conference details here.

Happy Unbirthday, Louis!

monterey public library, 2pm, saturday november 18

EACH year the Robert Louis Stevenson Club of Monterey celebrates the birthday which Stevenson gave away to 12-year-old Annie Ide, who was unhappy that her December 25 birthday was eclipsed by Christmas Day. This year’s special ‘unbirthday’ guest is Claudine Chalmers, author of the newly-published book Barbizon by the Pacific: The Early Days of Monterey’s Bohemian Art Colony with Jules Tavernier, Jules Simoneau & Robert Louis Stevenson. To read the document in which RLS made over his birthday to Annie, click on the poster.

A Dram Fine Celebration

robert louis stevenson museum, st helena, california

THE Robert Louis Stevenson Museum in St Helena, California will be raising a birthday dram to RLS with a Stevenson Whisky Tasting. He was, after all, the man who extolled the virtues of ‘the king o’ drinks as I conceive it, Talisker, Isla or Glenlivet’. Ticket availability  limited, click on the poster for details.

A Fortunate Voyager with friends the world over

AS one of the world’s best-loved authors, Robert Louis Stevenson continues to inspire people from all walks of life, from writers and film-makers to academics, politicians and many other fellow travellers on life’s voyage. A unique collection celebrating the centenary of the Robert Louis Stevenson Club brings together tributes from 60 such travellers, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, crime writers Ian Rankin and Val McDermid, children’s author Michael Morpurgo, and Sir Paul McCartney, a Treasure Island fan since childhood. The book is the perfect accompaniment to RLS Day or as a Christmas gift to anyone who loves Robert Louis Stevenson. Copies, price £9.99, can be ordered by emailing info@typewronger.com or by calling at Typewronger Books, 4A Haddington Place, Edinburgh, EH7 4AE.

Growing the Garden of Verses

OUR RLS Garden of Verses produced a bumper crop last year, and we would love to hear more. If you would like to add to it by recording your favourite Stevenson poem, email it as a sound file to robertlouisstevenson@blueyonder.co.uk There’s no need to confine yourself to Stevenson’s poems for children, but please check out last year’s poems to avoid duplication before making your choice from the rich variety penned by RLS. To enjoy last year’s crop, click here.