Underwoods

If you only know Robert Louis Stevenson as the author of "Treasure Island", "Underwoods" will surprise and delight. It collects over 50 of his poems, written in both English and Scots (one of the native languages of Scotland). Most are written in rhyme, and offer elegiac tributes to people and places, or moving reflections on his struggles with illness.

Among them are poems dedicated to Stevenson’s famous friends, such as the writers Henry James and W. E. Henley. And the beautiful "Requiem", which Stevenson chose to adorn his own tombstone.





Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer. Born in Edinburgh, he suffered from severe health issues for most of his life. Despite this, he still managed to produce some of the century’s most famous stories. These include the classic adventure "Treasure Island" and the horror novella "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".

Stevenson’s last years were spent on the Samoan island of Upolo, where he became an advocate for Samoan rights. He died in his home of a brain haemorrhage and was buried on the island’s Mount Vaea.