The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: About its Author, Robert Louis Stevenson

Good Morning Readers,

This month we are reading Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  This post is focused on a short biography of the author.  I use the word, "we" because sometimes in these posts I am re-reading a work and sometimes, like you, reading it for the first time.  This is the case with this novella.

I choose to not read up much on an author before reading his or her or their book.  I prefer to know as little as possible about the writer going into my read and let the story stand on its own.  This applies only to fiction.  If I am reading nonfiction, particularly one that advocates for this or that, I triple check the background, credibility etc of the author.  However, once I am finished with a fiction read, I do then research the life of the author for a new perspective on the work's creation and the spirit of the times.

Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on November 13, 1850.  His first published work, An Inland Voyage, came out in 1878 and was about a canoe trip taken from Antwerp to France.  His father was an engineer, building deep sea-lighthouses and his mother was Margaret Isabella Balfour Stevenson.  He became known for the short story form and later his novels such as Prince Otto (1888) though he went on to publish essays, poems, fiction and travel books.  He is best known for his novels, Treasure Island (1881), Kidnapped (1886) and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1866)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is considered a Gothic horror novel.  More on the style of the book, characters, setting and my opinion on the book will be covered in my post next week.

Sincerely,

Dina S. Rabadi