The photo shows
the signal tower at Hynish on the Isle of Tiree. In the 1800s, it was the only
way to communicate with the keepers at the offshore Skerryvore lighthouse. But
these blog posts are supposed to be about literary connections, and where is
the literary connection here?
The lighthouse was
designed and built by Alan Stevenson, who was the uncle of Robert Lewis
Stevenson. Robert Lewis Stevenson’s father and grandfather were also lighthouse
engineers, and he originally planned to follow them into the business. But he
wanted to write for a living, and the law was an easier fallback if he couldn’t
make it as an author. So he qualified in law rather than in engineering.
Stevenson was
always proud of his heritage, however. This quote is printed in the exhibit at
Hynish:
Whenever I smell salt water, I know I am not far from
the works of my ancestors. The Bell Rock stands monument for my grandfather,
the Skerry Vhor for my Uncle Alan and when the lights come on at sundown along
the shores of Scotland, I am proud to think they burn more brightly for the
genius of my father.
He also paid
special tribute to Skerryvore (or Skerry Vhor), calling it “the noblest of all
extant deep-sea lights.”
When Robert Lewis Stevenson
changed course and broke with tradition, he may have deprived the world of
another great lighthouse engineer. We’ll never know. Still, the world is happy
with his choice.
Sometimes writers
have to break with tradition.
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