Stevenson Under the Palm Trees

Hailed in Europe as a literary, philosophical, and psychological masterpiece, Alberto Manguel’s novella Stevenson Under the Palm Trees is now being published in Canada. With Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous creator of Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr, Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as his protagonist, Manguel paints a portrait of the writer’s final days on the island of Samoa.

Fighting the consumption wracking his body, Stevenson has moved with his family to the South Seas to escape the damp climate of his native Scotland. He is embraced by Samoan people, nicknamed Tusitala, "the teller of tales", and his life is spent quietly writing. But one day he encounters a strange man with a familiar Scottish brogue, a missionary with crazed ideas and the ability to mysteriously disappear.

Strange things begin to happen on the island and Stevenson finds himself caught in the middle of a series of inexplicable crimes. Exploring themes of duality and the influence our dreams have on reality. Manguel has crafted a wicked tale about the nature of creation that demonstrates he is a master of the novella form. This is a beautiful, poetic story that will excite and haunt its readers as both Alberto Manguel and Robert Louis Stevenson show that no one can walk innocently under the palm trees.