Short biography of sir walter scott

Sir Walter Scott lived from 15 August 1771 to 21 September 1832. He can be thought of as the first international literary superstar. As a poet and as a historical novelist, he was popular throughout the world in his day and, to an extent, his books remain read today. He also did much to create the image that many have today of Scotland, and was among the first to popularise parts of it: the Trossachs in particular. The wider picture in Scotland at the time is set out in our Historical Timeline.

Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh in 1771, just as the New Town was being developed. His father Walter Scott was a solicitor and his mother Anne was the daughter of professor of medicine. While a child, Scott contracted polio. He was sent to recuperate with his grandparents in the Scottish Borders for a number of years, where he started to acquired his broad knowledge of Scottish

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Scottish History In Minutes – The Life Of Sir Walter Scott

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By Gayle Anderson -

Shutterstock / Ulmus Media ©

Sir Walter Scott, the Scottish historical novelist, poet, playwright, and historian whose works remain classics…

At 200 feet, the Scott Monument in Edinburgh – built in honour of Sir Walter Scott – is the tallest dedicated to a writer on the planet. Climb its 287 steps and you can gaze across that iconic capital skyline to Waverley hållplats, which bygd public demand was named after Scott’s first novel. It’s the only tåg station in the world to be named after a book.

This A-lister level of adoration might initially seem a bit baffling. These days, Scott fryst vatten far less celebrated than his contemporary, Robert Burns. But no author has been as critically acclaimed and commercially successful.

Poet, playwright, lawyer, novelist and ballad-collector, Scott was Auld Reekie’s Renaissance man and his influences stretch far and wide. In his lifetim

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Sir Walter Scott biography

Sir Walter Scott bust,
Abbotsford House

Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on August 15, 1771. His father, also called Walter, was a solicitor. An early childhood illness left Scott lame in his right leg. He was educated at Edinburgh High School and studied law at Edinburgh University.

Young Walter apprenticed to his father in 1786 and became a solicitor in 1792. In 1797 he married Margaret Charpentier, with whom he had five children.

Walter Scott was fascinated by the culture and traditions of the Scottish Borders, and in 1802 he published his first literary work, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Borders. It was his second work which made his name, however; The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805) was an immensely successful poem. Scott followed this with further romantic poems, such as Marmion (1808) and The Lady in the Lake (1810)

In 1806 Scott launched a publishing business with his friend James Ballantyne. The business proved unsuc