Edinburgh is to celebrate an annual Robert Louis Stevenson Day in November. Organisers hope the accolade to our world-famous author will match the popularity of Dublin’s Bloomsday tribute to James Joyce.
The City of Literature Trust has designated 13 November – the writer’s birthday – as Robert Louis Stevenson Day but this year’s inaugural event will be held on 17 November as it’s the closest Saturday, allowing more fans to take part in the event.
Stevenson, author of classics including Treasure Island, The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde and Kidnapped, was born was born at 8 Howard Place at Canonmills on 13 November 1850. His family moved to nearby Inverleith Terrace in Jan the following year and then on to 17 Heriot Row in 1857. A student at Edinburgh University, Stevenson lived in Edinburgh for 29 years, and continued to visit until 1887. He died on the island of Samoa in 1894, aged just 44.
Events planned to celebrate his work will include a continuous public reading of the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a flashmob, high-profile speakers and the chalking of quotations from his words on pavements.
Richard Lewis, the city council’s culture leader, said: “Robert Louis Stevenson is one of Edinburgh’s most treasured sons and the creation of RLS Day is a fitting tribute to his life , work and legacy. We assisted with a number of special events held across the city last November, all of which generated significant interest, so clearly the public shares our enthusiasm.”
The plan comes after a one-off event last year and a proposal by another Edinburgh writer – Rebus author Ian Rankin – that it should be held every year. The day will bring theatre performances of Stevenson’s work in the city centre, and Ian Rankin has also suggested projecting quotation’s from Stevenson’s work onto public buildings at night as well as tours of the city.
Professor Linda Dryden, director of the Centre for Literature and Writing at the city’s Napier University, said: “A perennially popular author and an international brand, there are scholars around the world who study his works but Stevenson himself has never really been celebrated in any significant way as the son of Edinburgh. We want to bring together people who are interested in Stevenson and we anticipate there will be international interest.”
It is hoped the day will bring tourists to the city just as Dublin’s annual Bloomsday, named after the protagonist Leopold Bloom in Joyce’s Ulysses, has also spread around the world. First introduced in the 1950s, it is also marked in the United States and Italy, where it was partially written.
Events are being held on Stevenson’s birthday too:
RLS Day 13 November
Robert Louis Stevenson Day (RLS Day) rolls out on his birthday, 13th November. There will be a series of events and Stevenson inspired shenanigans popping up across the city and online. It is the perfect way to celebrate the life and writings of the man who brought us Treasure Island: so wear velvet and don a ‘tache in his honour, and be part of a Stevenson flashmob. Enjoy pop up theatre on your doorstep. Stroll across his words chalked on your streets. Eat cream tarts and learn about his alter ego, the duplicitous John Libbel. Discover what he was really like as a student of the University of Edinburgh. Walk the closes and cobbles that he walked and see Edinburgh through his eyes. And why not catch John Sessions and Nigel Planer talking about their lifelong fascination of the man. Share your favourite Stevenson facts with us on Facebook and Twitter #RLSDay, and open a book, read a story and raise a glass to RLS, wherever you find yourself.
A Robert Louis Stevenson Evening with John Sessions and Nigel Planer
Tuesday 13th November, 7-8pm
Reid Hall, Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AG
It is the perfect finale to RLS Day, and Stevenson’s birthday: actors and writers, Nigel Planer and John Sessions, both famous in their own right, discuss their lifelong fascination with another famous man, Robert Louis Stevenson. Talking about his life and works – from moustaches to memoirs, tall tales to world travel – they’ll be reading from his novels and poems, and working out what it is that makes Stevenson the literary phenomenon he is today.
Part of the RLS Day celebrations and brought to you by Edinburgh Napier University’s Centre for Literature and Writing (CLAW), in partnership with the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust. Tickets cost £5. To book yours: purchase from the Edinburgh Napier Online Store.
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