Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa by Joseph Farrell
The story of the last years of the author of Treasure Island and Jekyll and Hyde, lived out in the earthly paradise of the Samoan Islands. Shortlised for the Saltire Society Non Fiction Book of the Year Award
A bracing amalgam of history, biography and travel. . Farrell has done his compatriot proud. -- Ian Thomson * Financial Times. *
Scholarly, engaging and deeply thoughtful, Joseph Farrell's account of Stevenson's last four years in Samoa has the feel of an instant classic in studies of the writer. The Navigator Islands had fascinated Stevenson for years, but when he went to live there in 1890, frail and famous, the realities of life in on the margins of his own culture, language and society changed him forever. Rarely can a place and a writer have had so much effect on each other: Joseph Farrell's brilliant study takes us further into this fascinating relationship than ever before. -- Claire Harman, author of Robert Louis Stevenson: A Biography
Marvellously done, thanks to the lively fair-mindedness of Farrell's excellent prose. Vivid, scholarly, informative, but above all a really good read. -- Liz Lochhead, Scots Makar 2011-16
Joseph Farrell's is the best book I have seen on Stevenson's years in Samoa, the most enviable of any writer's ever. Farrell is fair to both his sunburnt Bohemianism and his unremitting hard work. -- James Buchan
Stevenson in Samoa is very good indeed . . . It is full of interest and repays the attention it demands. -- Allan Massie * Scotsman. *
A sparkling account of the last years of Stevenson's life . . . An emeritus professor at the University of Strathclyde and translator of literary works from Italian, Farrell comes armed with perceptive, elegant prose and a revealing understanding of Stevenson's peculiarly Scottish frame of mind. * Literary Review *
A very profound examination of Stevenson's Samoa in light of current and present ideologies. -- Brian Morton * Glasgow Herald. *
Farrell provides a welcome service by offering us the fascinating story of Stevenson's last great roll with the dice. -- Peter Carty * Spectator. *
By adeptly detailing colonial politics in which Stevenson intervened, Farrell takes us well beyond the image of the romantic exile in Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa. -- Christine Bold * T.L.S. *
A warm and intelligent account of the novelist's life and work in his last years in the South Seas. -- Allan Massie * Catholic Herald Books of the Year *
Scholarly, engaging and deeply thoughtful, Joseph Farrell's account of Stevenson's last four years in Samoa has the feel of an instant classic in studies of the writer. The Navigator Islands had fascinated Stevenson for years, but when he went to live there in 1890, frail and famous, the realities of life in on the margins of his own culture, language and society changed him forever. Rarely can a place and a writer have had so much effect on each other: Joseph Farrell's brilliant study takes us further into this fascinating relationship than ever before. -- Claire Harman, author of Robert Louis Stevenson: A Biography
Marvellously done, thanks to the lively fair-mindedness of Farrell's excellent prose. Vivid, scholarly, informative, but above all a really good read. -- Liz Lochhead, Scots Makar 2011-16
Joseph Farrell's is the best book I have seen on Stevenson's years in Samoa, the most enviable of any writer's ever. Farrell is fair to both his sunburnt Bohemianism and his unremitting hard work. -- James Buchan
Stevenson in Samoa is very good indeed . . . It is full of interest and repays the attention it demands. -- Allan Massie * Scotsman. *
A sparkling account of the last years of Stevenson's life . . . An emeritus professor at the University of Strathclyde and translator of literary works from Italian, Farrell comes armed with perceptive, elegant prose and a revealing understanding of Stevenson's peculiarly Scottish frame of mind. * Literary Review *
A very profound examination of Stevenson's Samoa in light of current and present ideologies. -- Brian Morton * Glasgow Herald. *
Farrell provides a welcome service by offering us the fascinating story of Stevenson's last great roll with the dice. -- Peter Carty * Spectator. *
By adeptly detailing colonial politics in which Stevenson intervened, Farrell takes us well beyond the image of the romantic exile in Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa. -- Christine Bold * T.L.S. *
A warm and intelligent account of the novelist's life and work in his last years in the South Seas. -- Allan Massie * Catholic Herald Books of the Year *
Joseph Farrell is Emeritus Professor at the University of Strathclyde. His books include a cultural history of Sicily and biographies of Dario Fo and Leonardo Sciascia. He is also a renowned translator from the Italian, whose translations include works by Leonardo Sciascia, Vincenzo Consolo, Dario Fo and Valerio Varesi. He lives in Glasgow.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781848668812 |
| ISBN 10 | 1848668813 |
| Title | Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa |
| Author | Joseph Farrell |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Quercus Publishing |
| Year published | 2019-03-21 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |