The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (Dodo Press)

James Hogg (1770-1835) was a Scottish poet and novelist who wrote in both Scots and English. He had little education, and became a shepherd, living in grinding poverty, hence his nickname, The Ettrick Shepherd. He taught himself through books how to read and write. He struggled to produce poetry of his own, and Laidlaw introduced him to Sir Walter Scott, who asked him to help with a publication entitled The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. His first collection, The Mountain Bard, was published in 1807 but he struggled to make an impact on the literary scene. Another venture, a magazine, The Spy failed after a year. But his epic storypoem, The Queen's Wake (the setting being the return to Scotland of Queen Mary (1561) after her exile in France), was published in 1813 and was a success. Now a well-known literary figure (if often mocked for his rustic accent and appearance) William Blackwood recruited him for Blackwood's Magazine. He wrote his famous tale of persecution, delusion,...