The Quest for Robert Louis Stevenson

by Cairney, John

• ISBN13: 9780946487875
• ISBN10: 0946487871
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-02-01
• Publisher: Luath Press Ltd

Summary

During his many travels in search of health, Stevenson gathered not only a literary fame but also an extended family of hangers-on. Years of restless wandering in Europe and the US (California, Saranac Lake, New York, Hawaii) led him finally to tropical Samoa, where he found not only wellbeing, but a release of the passionate potential that had been in him from his chilly beginnings in Edinburgh. What might have been a veritable paradise in his last years, however, was marred by the eccentric behaviour of his wife, California-born Fanny Osbourne. As he came into his own, she retreated into paranoia. Yet such was his loyalty to her that he allowed himself to be trapped in a situation that grew more untenable.

Author Biography

Dr John Cairney lives in Auckland with his wife Alannah O'Sullivan, and together they form the Pennyfarthing Partnership. John returns to Scotland on a regular basis. He made his stage debut at the tender age of 17 and has been acting ever since. He has adapted Burns for theatrical productions for decades, and performed for radio, television, in film, on stage, in musicals, as well as producing video and audio recordings of the Bard. He has toured his one-man show and was awarded a PhD for his work on Stevenson. Previous titles include On The Trail of Robert Burns, Immortal Memories and The Luath Burns Companion.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
CHAPTER 1 Grit and Grace	1	(12)
CHAPTER 2 A Daft-like Laddie	13	(14)
CHAPTER 3 Love, What is Love?	27	(16)
CHAPTER 4 The Reluctant Advocate	43	(16)
CHAPTER 5 The Illogical Adventure	59	(12)
CHAPTER 6 A Steady Determination	71	(8)
CHAPTER 7 Marriage in extremis	79	(10)
CHAPTER 8 Child of Air	89	(14)
CHAPTER 9 A Shilling Shocker	103	(10)
CHAPTER 10 Divided Loyalties	113	(12)
CHAPTER 11 Such Beautiful Scenes	125	(12)
CHAPTER 12 A Very Meaningful Relationship	137	(12)
CHAPTER 13 The Breakthrough	149	(10)
CHAPTER 14 The Speaking Chief	159	(8)
CHAPTER 15 Less Afraid of a Petticoat	167	(6)
CHAPTER 16 Against the Tide	173	(14)
Postscript	187	(6)
RLS: A Concise Chronology	193	(8)
Bibliography	201