Home from the Sea: Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa

by Richard A. Bermann, Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood (Translator)

Robert Louis Stevenson, perhaps the most popular author of his time, spent the last six years of his life in the balmy climate of the Pacific Islands, where he wrote some of his finest books. A compulsive letter writer, R.L.S. left the world with a treasure trove of information about his travels, his interesting encounters with fascinating people, and the intense "personal" relationships he had developed with them. When his life touched others, they too, were drawn to document their feelings and experiences, further adding insight into his fascinating life.

Here is an exotic, but factual account of the last two years in the life of "Tusitala", the Scottish novelist who, chronically ill and exiling himself to the South Pacific, fought for justice on behalf of the Samoan people and won their hearts with his compassion and artistry.

Originally written in German and subsequently translated, the Samoan edition by special arrangement with the publisher has been reprinted so that recent discoverers and old lovers of R.L.S. can gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of his life and works.

280 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1939

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had always thought of Stevenson, if I thought of him at all, as a mid-tier novelist with some enduring but lightweight books to his credit. After discovering this account of his years in Samoa, I fell in love with his outlook on life. He's got a wonderful sense of what is important. Here are some lovely quotes (not from this book, but from Stevenson's writings):

"So long as we love, we serve; so long as we are loved by others, I should say that we are almost indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend."

"There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world."

"An aim in life is the only fortune worth finding."

"To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive."

"If your morals make you dreary, depend on it, they are wrong."

"It is a golden maxim to cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of themselves."

"It is the mark of a good action that it appears inevitable in retrospect."

"Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well."

[Sparrow .]

I’m so glad I read this classic biography! I knew I liked Stevenson (having read“Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” “The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter’s Tale,” “An Inland Voyage” (his first work)), but I didn’t think I’d actually open this book, sent to me by Ada Schjeldahl, the woman with whom I have been corresponding for 27 years (and to whom I sign my letters “RLS”). Bermann writes Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa ((published in 1939) like a novel, without violating the strict rules of biography.** And Stevenson lived a novelistic life – which is pretty rare for a novelist. He moved to Samoa for his health – he had tuberculosis – and became a character out of “Treasure Island:” a kindly-but-sickly paterfamilias supporting a gang of relatives, servants & expatriates, by cranking out adventure stories. “Home from the Sea” – a phrase taken from one of his poems, which is also his epitaph – covers the last two eventful years of his life. An excerpt at random:

“Stevenson swung himself into his saddle without the proffered help of the Samoan warrior who had hastened over to assist him. He had barely mounted when Jack leapt backward; the horse had been scared by a man with a blackened face who had jumped precipitately out of a flower-laden hibiscus bush in front of the house. The same man, for no known reason, had then proceeded suddenly to execute a series of somersaults and handsprings, with the result that his loincloth of gleaming Tapa fiber fell down over his painted and grinning savage face and revealed his naked legs.”

[Yes, the book is racist – especially by today’s standards – but RLS is such a devoted anti-imperialist that one forgets Bermann’s* limitations.] *Richard A. Bermann was a Viennese journalist & travel writer – who visited the South Seas (and knew Sigmund Freud). His works were banned by the Nazis in 1938 – so maybe he wasn't THAT MUCH of a racist. Bermann died at the Yaddo colony in 1939.
**Stevenson kept copious journals.

[M.L. Dunker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this in the gift bookshop of the Robert Louis Stevenson house in Apia, Samoa. It has been a bucket list dream of mine to visit the last home and grave of this adventure story icon. The tour of the house, the dedicated staff, the beautiful grounds did not disappoint. Neither did this book.

It's not as comprehensive as a thesis or some of the other books out there - RLS wrote a tremendous amount of letter, journals, and notes about the people he met, his family and others. But it is very very compassionate view of Samoa and how Stevenson and his family tried to blend in rather than rule over. I recommend reading this along with the book, Under a Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan.

Please note: This book was originally written in 1929 and copyrighted by the author's estate in 1935. There are words and ideas that reflect the colonialism and attitudes of the times.

[Mark Latchford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this wonderful little book about RSL which I had actually bought while in Samoa. The authors description of the last few years of Stevenson’s life is vivid, quant and very empathetic. The style is fluid and considering it’s a translation quite engaging. Recommended for those who love the Pacific and/or this terrific Scottish legend.

[Dragon Girl]

Stevenson's writing of his last two years sounds lovely and fascinating. His aspects as a writer motivates me to always take reading as my favourite. I love it and hope to read more❣️❣️❣️

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good find on my shelves! An odd find, an account of the last two years of Stevenson's life in Samoa which uses diaries and letters and accounts of people who were there. It is good to read a book about just these two years but Bermann is eccentric at least.

Sometimes more novelist than biographer he assumes he knows what people were thinking and feeling but the events are true (I must suppose).

The imaginary thoughts and conversations he gives to Stevenson show how far removed we are from the 1939 of Bermann's book. But perhaps he is closer to the 1892 of Stevenson than we are. So this is a trip in time to see how some biographies were written in 1939. But it is readable nevertheless. There are odd episodes that come from other people's accounts of their encounters with RLS and from his letters and from the letters of other family members. Some work and some don't.

But as I read on I found myself enjoying this and respecting it more and more.it is an account of events in the life of RLS which you wouldn't get anywhere else.

[Steve Van Slyke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up just before flying to Tahiti to help a friend sail his boat to Samoa. I wanted to learn a little about Stevenson before arriving at the island where he lived out his five final years.

I got what I wanted from the book but it was a little dry and melodramatic at times.

When I arrived in Samoa and visited his estate, Villa Vailima, and hiked up to his tomb on Mt. Vaea, it was much more meaningful having read the book and learned about the other people, family and Samoans, that surrounded him.

I would definitely recommend it for someone headed for Samoa, but for someone hoping to find an exciting read about life in the tropics in the late 1800s, be forewarned that it is not a real page-turner.

[Lynette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite sure how to rate this one!! After visiting his home in Samoa I purchased a copy
at the shop there. While parts of it were interesting and I felt like I was keen to know
more, I felt like it was all over the place and hard to follow at times. It was different to
how I thought it would be, maybe because it has been translated.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

[Vesna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exellent and most instructive !

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

AMERICAN SAMOA -