Searching For Stevenson

Unmatched in imagination and bold in his experimentation of genres, Robert Louis Stevenson's enduring legacy is celebrated by Montblanc's latest commemorative writing instruments.

- Alvin Wong

It was a celebrity catch-up ahead of its time. On a balmy September morning in 1887, Mark Twain met Robert Louis Stevenson, of Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde fame, in New York. The two literary giants took a stroll along Washington Square before settling down on a bench to chat-for five hours straight. Among the many things they talked about was the subject of fame.

"(We) tried to find a name for the submerged fame, that fame that permeates the great crowd of people you never see and never mingle with, but who read your books and have an affection for you... and you will remain in the home of their hearts' affection forever and ever," recalled Twain in a speech from 1908. "Stevenson and I decided that of all fame, that was the very best."

On hindsight, "forever and ever" is an appropriate estimation. Stevenson's body of work, which amounts to 13 novels and eight books on travel, are revered in modern literature. Marked by a fascinating blend of adventure, imagination and creativity, they are informed and inspired by his extensive travels through France, the US and the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific, where he eventually settled.

It is thoroughly appropriate, too, that both Stevenson and Twain continue to be fervently celebrated today. Montblanc, for one, has been paying tribute to legendary writers from Oscar Wilde to Franz Kafka since 1992, when it introduced the Writers Edition series of commemorative writing instruments. The Mark Twain Writers Edition collection was released in 2010. This year, Montblanc serendipitously unites both men by inducting Stevenson into the illustrious lineup with a collection of four exclusive writing instruments dedicated to the Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer.