Robert Louis Stevenson will always be remembered as the world renowned author who chose the South Pacific, and Sāmoa in particular, as his final home and resting place ‘under the stars.’
Several authors have chosen to write on the life of Robert Louis Stevenson, but this book review focuses mainly on Joseph Farrell’s comprehensive account on the life of Robert Louis Stevenson in Sāmoa, and the influences that shaped his short life, which began with his birth in Scotland and ended with his demise and burial on his chosen place, a mountain top, on the other side of the world, in Sāmoa. The site of his resting place was probably selected as a reminder of the hills of his birthplace in Scotland.
In 1890, after sailing the seas of the South Pacific for two years, the well-known Scottish writer, Robert Louis Stevenson (RLS), arrived in Sāmoa and took up residence on the island of Upolu. The Sāmoans bestowed the name Tusitala, on RLS, which means Teller of Tales. In addition to his famous title, he also became a ‘defender of Sāmoan affairs’—an outspoken advocate for the country’s right to be free from external influence from outside countries, such as Britain, Germany and the United States of America (Farrell 2017). This did not win him many admirers, but it did demonstrate his independent views on political matters, even in a country not his own.
