Robert Louis Stevenson ranks among the upper echelons of writers in British literature. He is one of the most popular writers of the 19th century. Stevenson possessed a wide range of skills in producing works in the form of poetry, plays, short stories, essays and novels. A variety of aspects of his own life and personal experiences were implemented in his literary works. The romance novel is the one for which he is best known. His works are still studied and observed in today's society. Although he is not considered "the best" writer in British history, his work nevertheless demands respect and deserves to be appreciated. Robert Louis Stevenson was a talented literary artist who had a significant impact on British literature. Born on November 13, 1850, young Robert Louis Stevenson was the only son of middle-class parents (Poem Hunter). He was born in the large city of Edinburgh, Scotland, to parents Thomas Stevenson and Isabella Balfour. His father came from a family with a long line of engineers who had built many deep-sea lighthouses along the wild coast of Scotland. His mother came from a family of lawyers and church ministers (RLS Website). Although he was born strong and healthy, Stevenson's health quickly deteriorated due to constant respiratory illnesses which later in his life developed into an unfortunate case of tuberculosis which turned him into a state of “thin and fragile skeleton” for a large part. of his life (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Throughout his childhood, Stevenson's chronic health problems prevented him from leading a normal life as an active teenager. So he was confined to bed for most of his childhood (Poem Hunter). While being... middle of paper......od, Stevenson associated himself with the poor eaters of Edinburgh's lower society (Encyclopedia of World Biography). The relationship between the contrasting aspects of these two societies had a more profound influence on the young Stevenson and strengthened his interest in the "duality of human nature". Later in his life this provided the theme on which Stevenson based his famous novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Poem Hunter). Works Cited “Robert Louis Stevenson” Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. Apr 6, 2012The RLS website. www.robert-louis-stevenson.org. March 20, 2012"Biography of Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)." Biography of Robert Louis Stevenson. Grade Saver LLC, 1999-2012. Internet. April 3, 2012. "Biography of Robert Louis Stevenson." PoemHunter.com. Internet. April 4. 2012.