Wednesday, July 25, 2007 Edinburgh Writer's Museum




The Edinburgh Writer's Museum is located off the Royal Mile in Lady Stair's House. It features the lives and work of Scottish authors Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. The museum offers self-guided tours and features photos, paintings, memorabilia, and other items related to the lives of these three famous Scots.
The author with whom I related most was Robert Louis Stevenson because I have always enjoyed the adventures that he wrote so well. It was interesting to see the photographs and other pieces of memorabilia related to his life and times, and to see pictures of his family, and to realize that he had spent quite a bit of time in the United States before his death. The collection consists of some very personal items belonging to the authors, and based on the displays, it seems that Burns was quite the lady's man. It was also interesting to note that Stevenson married a divorced woman with two children. That fact is rather reminiscent of C.S. Lewis, who also married a divorcee with two children. I suppose that fact was significant to me because of the way divorcees were looked down upon by society, especially during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth one.
One of the neat things about the place is the engraved cobblestones out in the courtyard that commemorate the lives of several Scottish authors, including some from modern times. The museum tour was free of charge, and proved to be quite interesting. I have an new appreciation for Stevenson, Burns and Scott.




No comments: