December has well and truly arrived, the days are
shorter, the weather is colder and preparations for Christmas are all in hand.
Funnily enough I love December! It's a month of good cheer, of parties and
catching up with family and friends. Even more than that, the holidays with the
cold, damp weather are a perfect time for catching up on your favourite authors
and watching your best loved films.
So with this in mind, I thought today we could have a
quick look at the famous Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894).
Stevenson is most famous for his novels Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The
Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, however it must be noted he published
much, much more than this and was an excellent novelist, poet and travel writer
who ranks among the 26 most translated authors in the world. To give you a
little potted history, Stevenson suffered long periods of ill health as a child
which meant that he missed a lot of time away from school, and often had to be
educated at home by a private tutor. Although late learning to read and write
his love of storytelling became evident at a very early age, and his father
paid for his first publication when he was only sixteen years old. He attended
Edinburgh University, at first to study engineering, possibly with the idea of
following his father into the design and building of lighthouses, but was
quickly disillusioned and changed subjects to obtain a law degree. Stevenson
never practiced at the bar though, as by the time he qualified he was certain
that his career lay in writing. Stevenson married Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne,
an American divorcee who was over ten years his senior in May 1880 and they
remained married until his death in 1894 at the age of 44.
So why did December make me think of this great author?
Well if you have any children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews who you love to
sit in front of a roaring fire and read to, then I can recommend his work.
Robert Louis Stevenson certainly knew how to write an adventure to captivate an
audience. Without giving too much away Treasure Island, written in 1883 is a
tale of pirates, buried treasure and desert islands. Kidnapped, written in 1886
tells the adventure of a young orphan, David, who is in pursuit of his rightful
inheritance. Both tales have stood the test of time and remain firm family
favourites. Both have been adapted for film and TV on numerous occasions.
Stevenson also wrote “A Child's Garden of Verses” in
1885. Although written for children, the poetry proved just as popular with the
parents! I have taken a poem from this book to show you a sample of the
brilliant writing by this amazing author. I hope you enjoy it as much as I
always do!
Winter-Time by Robert Louis Stevenson
Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,
A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;
Blinks but an hour or two; and then,
A blood-red orange, sets again.
Close by the jolly fire I sit
To warm my frozen bones a bit;
Or with a reindeer-sled, explore
The colder countries round the door.
When to go out, my nurse doth wrap
Me in my comforter and cap;
The cold wind burns my face, and blows
Its frosty pepper up my nose.
Black are my steps on silver sod;
Thick blows my frosty breath abroad;
And tree and house, and hill and lake,
Are frosted like a wedding cake.
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