Tusitala: Pacific perspectives on Robert Louis Stevenson

Discover how the Pacific and its people impacted the writing and creative legacy of one of Scotland's most famous writers, Robert Louis Stevenson.

In collaboration with the University of Edinburgh's Remediating Stevenson project, 'Tusitala: Pacific Perspectives on Robert Louis Stevenson' reflects on his Pacific legacy then and now. The display features new creative works, inspired by Stevenson and his Pacific stories, produced by Sāmoan, Hawaiian and British artists, poets, and filmmakers. These appear alongside original items from the Library's archives, conveying new perspectives on Stevenson and his work.

Join us in reconsidering a writer who arrived in the Pacific as a colonial figure, but became beloved as 'Tusitala', teller of tales.

About Robert Louis Stevenson

Edinburgh-born Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 to 1894) is best known for literary classics such as 'Treasure Island' (1883), 'Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' (1886), 'A Child's Garden of Verses' (1885) and 'Kidnapped' (1886). Stevenson is one of the most famous writers Scotland has ever produced.

Hugely successful in his lifetime, Stevenson shocked the British literary establishment when he and his family settled in Sāmoa following his Pacific voyages of 1888 to 1890. In 1894 he died aged 44 at his home at Vailima, on the Sāmoan island of Upolu.

About Remediating Stevenson

Remediating Stevenson is an interdisciplinary project led by the University of Edinburgh and funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council.