The theme of the 2024 international academic conference was “Stevenson intertextual”.
This subject was addressed in a number of different ways. Martin White, President of the European network In the Footsteps of R.L. Stevenson, presented “Les écrivains voyageurs décodés”. These are three travel writers who all experienced Edinburgh in the 1870s, but in very different ways. Each of them went on to become famous novelists: Stevenson of course, Mark Twain and Henry James.
Some familiar friends of the network were also present: Patrick Antoniol, from Maroilles, who spoke about the “Literary Mausoleum”, and Mafalda Cipollone, who spoke about her letters, accompanied by magnificent illustrations.
The conference took place at the Ruhr University (Bochum, Germany), famous for its Brutalist architecture, in warm, sunny weather.
