Robert Louis Stevenson ranks among the top writers of British literature. He is one of the most popular writers of the 19th century. Stevenson had 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 life and personal experiences were implemented in his literary works. The romance novel is what he became famous for. His works are still studied and observed in today's society. Although he is not considered “the best” writer in British history, his work still commands respect and deserves appreciation. Robert Louis Stevenson was a talented literary artist who had a significant impact on British literature. Born on the thirteenth day of November 1850, young Robert Louis Stevenson was the only child of middle-class parents (Poem Hunter). He was born in greater Edinburgh, Scotland, to parents Thomas Stevenson and Isabella Balfour. His father belonged to a family with a long line of engineers who had built many deep-sea lighthouses along Scotland's rugged coast. His mother came from a family of lawyers and church ministers (The RLS Website). Although he was born strong and healthy, Stevenson's health rapidly faltered due to constant respiratory illnesses which later in his life developed into an unfortunate case of tuberculosis which left him in a "skeletally thin and frail" state for much of his life. of his life (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Throughout his childhood, Stevenson's chronic health problems made it difficult for him to live a normal life as an active teenager, so he was confined to bed for much of his childhood (Poem Hunter). Despite being... at the center of the paper... hated, Stevenson associated with the last members of Edinburgh's lower society (Encyclopedia of World Biography). The relationship between the contrasting aspects of these two societies had a deeper influence on the young Stevenson and strengthened his interest in the “duality of human nature.” This later in his life provided the theme on which Stevenson based his famous novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Poem Hunter). Works Cited in Robert Louis Stevenson's Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 6 April 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. Network. 03 April 2012. "Biography of Robert Louis Stevenson." PoemHunter.com. Network. April 4. 2012.