A Tale of Three Rabbies - Part II: Robert the Novelist

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Our tale of the three Rabbies continues in Edinburgh, where we attempt to walk in the footsteps of RLS. No I am not talking about the infamous Roaming Lager Sampler or even the lesser known Restless Leg Syndrome. I am talking about none other than Robert Louis Stevenson, who was born and raised in Edinburgh.

While RLS is most famous for penning such novels as Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, he also was a poet, social critic and travel writer. In fact, my admiration for this Rabbie does not only stem from his writings but also his outlook on life, in particular, his passion for travelling, even in the face of frequent illness.

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go.
I travel for travel's sake.
The great affair is to move.

Arriving in Edinburgh, I was unsure what I would find to satisfy my RLS quest, and was ready to accept simply stumbling across a plaque on a nondescript building, which would be, in some way, an official and glorified work of graffiti stating something like “RLS waz ere” (This is all there seemed to be for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). Fortunately I was pleasantly surprised when the nice lass at the tourist bureau (yes, I am a male and I did ask someone for directions) directed me to the Writers’ Museum in Lady Stairs Close, just off the Royal Mile.

So, one late afternoon off I went from our apartment with everyone who wanted to come (in other words, I went alone) in search of Lady Stairs Close. One of the charming aspects of Edinburgh is the many Closes. These are alleyways, typically consisting of a narrow steep stairway with an arched entry and exit built within other buildings almost giving an atmosphere like a tunnel or canyon. While I never felt unsafe, one could imagine the likes of Inspector Rebus squatting beside the latest murder victim of an Ian Rankin crime novel slumped within one of these Closes. After a couple of attempts I finally found the Close in question and the Museum.

The Museum does not attempt to be a comprehensive collection of Edinburgh or Scottish writers, but has focussed on three writers; Robert Burns (see Rabbie Part One), Sir Walter Scott and RLS. The RLS display was wonderful describing the different periods in his life amongst his bust, portraits, rare books and personal possessions. One item is his ring given to him by a Samoan chief with the inscription “Tusitala”, meaning “Teller of Tales”. Of course, Samoa is where he spent his last years and where he died at the age of 44.

Again, to most he is remembered as a great 19^th century author but to me he was also a great adventurer. Overall it was an enjoyable experience and also quite apt given we are at the beginning of our own great adventure.


Footnote: While I spent most of my time enjoying the RLS exhibition, I also cast an eye over the Sir Walter Scott display. I knew he wrote Ivanhoe, but I did not know he also authored the historical novel Rob Roy, one of my favourite films, starring Liam Neeson. I have now added another book to my Kindle to read.

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