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 Scotland's greatest novelist was born in Edinburgh, the youngest of 13 children. Scion of an old Scottish family, he followed his father into law, rising
to become sheriff of the County of Selkirk and eventually a judge in the city of his birth. While still a student he became interested in German literature,
translating Bürger's "Leonore" and Goethe's "Götz von Berlichingen". As a young lawyer he published the "Minstrelesley of the Scottish Border", a
collection of embellished Anglo Scottish Border Ballads. Next he wrote a number of epic narrative poems combining the descriptiveness of the Scottish ballad with the
romance of medieval chivalry; these include "The lay of the Last Minstrel", "Marmion", "The
Lady of the Lake", and "The Bridal of Triermain", all met with enthusiastic public acclaim. After that he turned to prose fiction, writing in rapid succession, at first anonymously, 27
historical novels, the "Waverley Novels". These too were a huge success and had an influence extending far beyond Scotland's borders on writers as famous as Alexander
Dumas, Victor Huge, Honoré de Balzac, Wilhelm Hauff and Carlo Manzoni. The income from his writing enabled Scott in 1812 to buy and then refurbish Abbotsford
House on the Tweed. It was here that he wrote his historical novels, recreating 500 years of Anglo Scottish history, from the 13th to the 18th century. Among the threads of which Scott
wove his imaginary tales of adventure and romance; for although his heroes are fictional, they do battle in circumstances shaped as they were in reality by famous historical figures. Most of
the novels are set in the 17th and 18th century Scotland, including "Rob Roy", "The Heart of
Midlothian", "The Legend of Montrose", "The Bride of Lammermoor", "Chronicles of the
Canongate", and "The Fair Maid of Perth", others include "Ivenhoe", and "Quentin Durward". In the height of his success Scott was knighted. Six years later a failed venture
into publishing left him in bankruptcy and the final years of his life were spent writing feverishly to pay off his creditors. He died in the autumn of 1832 from a heart attack and was buried in Dryburgh Abbey.
Scott did more than anyone to restore pride and self belief to a people who had lived long under English domination, reviving his countrymen's faith in their own national identity. By
making the Scottish language and its literature socially acceptable and throwing his weight behind every Scottish cause (the lifting of the ban on the kilt and plaid), he contributed
substantially to a renewal of Scottish culture which experienced its true renaissance under George IV and Queen Victoria. Sir Walter Scott 1771 - 1832
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