The best books are written with an ear to somebody. Treasure Island was written in 1883 for Robert Louis Stevenson's 15-year-old stepson, Lloyd Osbourne. It was intended to be a boy's book in the mould of RM Ballantyne's Coral Island, Captain Marryat's Masterman Ready, and Fennimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans, ripping yarns all. It succeeded beyond Stevenson's wildest dreams, becoming a cornerstone of childhood literary memory, indirectly inspiring masterpieces as different as Peter Pan, Swallows and Amazons and High Wind in Jamaica, and directly spawning a dozen forgotten prequels and sequels.
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Silver: Return to Treasure Island, By Andrew Motion
Sunday 18 March 2012
Treasure Island: The Next Generation
Sean Penn: Rebel with a cause
Saturday 18 February 2012
He's the Hollywood star turned activist who's riled people throughout his career. And now the British are in his sights
How Whiteclay (population: 11) sells 5m cans of beer a year
Sunday 12 February 2012
It's 20 minutes' drive from a 20,000-strong Native American reservation, which is now suing brewers and the town's off-licences
IoS Appeal: Hope in ruins - Haiti two years after the quake
Sunday 08 January 2012
More than 500,000 people are still living in tents, despite massive aid operation
Sonia Pierre: Human rights activist
Tuesday 06 December 2011
Sonia Pierre, a human rights activist who had fought discrimination against Dominicans of Haitian descent since she was a child, died on 4 December following a heart attack at the age of 48. For decades her activism had made her the target of threats in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, but it earned her recognition from overseas as a defender of human rights, including an award from Amnesty International in 2003.
French Polynesia: 'Cannibal' turns himself in
Thursday 01 December 2011
Henri Haiti, the suspected killer of a German man feared to have been eaten by cannibals on the island of Nuku Hiva, has given himself up after a 50-day manhunt.
Clinton aide mooted as Haitian PM
Friday 02 September 2011
A one-time aide to the former US president Bill Clinton is being nominated to be the Haitian Prime Minister.
Oxfam official quits Haiti post
Saturday 13 August 2011
Oxfam GB's country director in Haiti has resigned amid an inquiry into allegations of staff misconduct, the charity has said.
Haitian president's choice for PM is vetoed
Thursday 23 June 2011
Members of Haiti's parliament have rejected President Michel Martelly's choice for the next prime minister, plunging the country into political uncertainty as a new government struggles to get its footing.
The rift over the real cost of Haiti's earthquake
Wednesday 01 June 2011
A US report says death toll from last year's disaster was exaggerated
Haiti: a new chapter
Friday 13 May 2011
On Saturday the people of Haiti will mark a new chapter in their country’s history as Michael Martelly becomes the island nation’s 56th President.
Guy Adams: A battle that was lost on the streets
Friday 06 May 2011
In the frantic aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, you heard a similar refrain across Port-au-Prince: where on earth, most Haitians were asking, is the UN when you actually need it?
'Sweet Micky' promises change for Haiti
Thursday 07 April 2011
The president-elect wore a conservative grey suit for his first news conference since his election victory as Haitians wondered how this charismatic musician with a bad-boy past would govern the country in crisis.
'Sweet Micky' becomes new president of Haiti
Wednesday 06 April 2011
The popular carnival musician enjoys a landslide victory but now must convince elite to help him repair a broken country
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