Treasure Island

Since I was a child, I've read Treasure Island many times, first in Greek, my native language and then in English, the original language it was written, always enjoying it very much. A modern reader may find the characters cliché and somewhat one-dimensional, the story simplistic and the plot twists not that convincing, some elements of English patriotism and sense of pride outdated, but still... The author, possessing a great imagination and been well-traveled, managed in his relatively short life to give us very beautiful (and varied) books, influencing our collective memory and culture very much. So much that maybe today when we read the original novels, they might not have such an impact to us, their themes and traits been familiar already... Certainly Stevenson got inspired by his surroundings and his own life to write Treasure Island, and certainly many elements in his books are not new... I imagine him one day meeting a sailor with an amputated leg, or gazing at ships in harbors and spotting a talking parrot in the the shoulder of an old salt or frequenting naval taverns and mingling with ships' crews, hearing old seafaring tales of pirates, wars and hidden treasures while travelling his self (After all, the premise of the book takes place decades before his time)... Nevertheless, he is perhaps the first author who successfully put these elements to paper and created stories full of adventures, places and behaviors that seemed exotic to most people of his time and still fascinate today... ...and on a personal note, all in all each person feels a great fascination, tenderness, attraction in some readings even if they cannot explain exactly why. And feel a need to return to them again and again. This is 1000% true for me and Treasure Island.