The literary heritage of the Scottish writer, Robert Louis Stevenson is comprised of dozens of novels and short stories. The writer is commonly known as the author of adventure books such as Treasure Island . However, Stevenson’s writing cannot be reduced to a single genre as his works covered multiple subjects and themes which were primarily based on the personal experience of the author. The characters of his novels, including Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , overcome many challenges and difficulties, adventurous and even mysterious ones. Similarly to the characters of the novels, Stevenson encountered tragedies and luck, failures and success, conflicts, and love throughout his life span. And it is possible to say that the writer’s profound experience found its reflection in his works. Stevenson often covered the themes of self-identity and self-formation, morality, dark and bright side of human nature. Being a citizen of Scotland, he also paid attention to the issues of nationality, tradition, customs, and history which can be traced both in his novels and autobiographies. The combination of Stevenson’s unique style, his well-developed skills of writing, sincere interest in adventures and traveling, and the unusual life experience drew significant attention from the readers and it continues to attract new admirers from day today. The themes revealed in the writer’s novels demonstrate an extensive range of his inner experiences which, complemented by a rich imagination and passion, helped Robert Stevenson to unfold his talent to its full power. Childhood and Adolescence Robert Louis Stevenson was born in the family of Scottish engineers, the famous builders of lighthouses. Since the very childhood, he had tuberculosis. There was no effective treatment for the disease amid the19 th century, and the boy found his consolation in literature. The illness made Stevenson spend most of the time lying in the bed. The writer used to describe his childhood as a cheerless time “full of painful days and interminable nights” (Ransome and Findlay 59). In “A Child’s Garden of Verses,” Stevenson described those days with bitterness: “In winter I get up at night And dress by yellow candle-light. In summer, quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day” (“Bed in Summer” par. 1). The first steps taken by the writer on the way towards the close acquaintance with literature were very simple – Stevenson read books with the pencil in his hand and wrote down the interesting phrases and words in the notebook. Then, he gradually started to write his compositions. However, his parents considered that writing is not a serious occupation and forced him to graduate the law school. In youth, Louis dreamed of traveling but, during his life, he usually traveled not because of his propensity to explorations but rather due to the vital necessity. His first travel to France took place at the insistence of the doctors who suggested that the mild climate would recover the boy’s health. Later, affected by the misery of separation from his bride, Fanny Osbourne, whom he met in France, Stevenson traveled to California, and then – to Samoa Islands. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The plot of the novel set at the end of the 19th century when one of the main characters, Dr. Jekyll, discovered that human nature is dualistic, a