Robert Barr was born born in Scotland but when he was four his family moved to Canada. There he got brilliant education, and as he became interested in this field he decided to become a teacher. Most of his works were written during his teaching career, but eventually he quit his position to become a staff member of 'Detroit Free Press' – the newspaper that published his works. Barr's works are often based on his own experience and reveal his personality: straightforward and even cruel at first sight but very kind when you take a serious look. A Modern Samson tells us a dramatic and at the same time amusing sotry of a brave and strong army man called Jean Rasteaux, who was almost a giant, as people would call him. He was a pure child of Britan and couldn't live without the sea. But one day he was sent to the mounatins, far away that he couldn't ever possibly hear or see the sea he adored. However, a soul-tearing story developes quite a funny plot with an unexpectid ending, so read it yourself!