Walter Scott biography briefly in English. A short biography of Walter Scott is the most important thing. Youth and the beginning of a writing career

Walter Scott, whose biography is described in this article, is a world-famous writer of Scottish origin. It is believed that he is the founder. There are probably no people in the educated world who are unfamiliar with his knight Ivanhoe or the story of Rob Roy.

Childhood and youth

Sir Walter was born in August 1771 in Edinburgh. His family was very prosperous and educated. Father - Walter John - was a lawyer. Mother - Anna Rutherford - was the daughter of a professor of medicine. The couple had thirteen children. The writer was born ninth, but by the time he reached the age of six months he had only three brothers and sisters left.

Walter Scott himself could have followed the dead. The short biography for children does not clarify this point. But in January 1772 the child became seriously ill. Doctors diagnosed infantile paralysis. The family was afraid that the baby would remain immobile forever, but after much therapeutic manipulation, the doctors managed to put him on his feet. Unfortunately, it was not possible to fully restore mobility, and Sir Walter remained lame for the rest of his life.

Several times he had to undergo long-term treatment for the consequences of an infantile illness at resorts.

Most of his childhood was spent in the wonderful town of Sandinow, where his grandfather's farm was located.

At the age of seven he returned to his parents in Edinburgh, and in 1779 he began attending school. His physical handicap was more than replaced by a lively mind and phenomenal memory.

After graduating from Walter Scott School, short biography which is very informative, goes to a local college.

At this time, he begins to get involved in mountaineering, again because of his health. Playing sports helped the young man get stronger and gain the respect of his peers. He read a lot, paying special attention to Scottish tales and ballads. Sir Walter learned German, in order to better understand German poets, whose work I was also interested in during my student years.

All of his friends claimed that he was an excellent storyteller and predicted that he would become a great writer. But Scott had another goal: he dreamed of getting a law degree.

Career

This happened in 1792, when the future literary celebrity passed an exam at the university. He was awarded a diploma, and Walter Scott, whose biography is proof of the writer’s success, opened his own legal practice.

In 1791, Scott joined the debating club and became its treasurer and secretary. Subsequently, he will give lectures there on the topics of parliamentary reforms and the immunity of judges.

Scott first acted as a defense attorney in a criminal trial in 1793 in Jedburgh.

Due to the nature of his work, Sir Walter spent little time in Edinburgh and traveled extensively around the area, taking part in various court cases. In 1795 he visited Galloway, where he acted as counsel for the accused.

He does not abandon his passion for literature and brings from each of his trips a lot of folklore material, recordings of legends and local myths.

Also in 1795, the Edinburgh Bar Corporation elected him keeper of the library, since Scott was the most knowledgeable in this matter.

The love of poetry and writing in general has practically no influence on the main work of Walter Scott.

After the creation of the English militia - in 1796 - he joined the Royal Dragoon Regiment, where he was appointed quartermaster.

Since 1799, Scott's articles on legal issues began to be published in the local newspaper. That same year he was appointed Sheriff of Selkirkshire.

In 1806, he was appointed successor to the clerk of the court in Edinburgh, J. Home. In 1812, after the death of the latter, Scott received this position and an income of 1,300 pounds a year. This work requires the writer to be present in court every day, but despite this, his passion for literature does not fade away.

Poetic activity

Walter Scott, whose short biography cannot contain all the events from his most interesting life, traveled a lot in search of ancient ballads and tales that he dreamed of publishing.

His own activity as a writer began with translations. The first experience was the German poet Burger, whose poems ("Lenore", "Wild Hunter") he adapted for the residents of the United Kingdom. Then there was Goethe and his poem "Götz von Berlichingem".

In 1800 he wrote the first original ballad "Midsummer's Evening". In 1802, his dream came true - the publication “Songs of the Scottish Border” was published, in which all the collected folklore material was published.

Walter Scott, whose biography began to interest admirers of his work, became famous in an instant. From 1807 to 1815 he produced many romantic works, which glorified him as an innovator and a genius of lyric-epic poem.

Prosaic way

When starting to write novels, Walter Scott doubted the success of this endeavor, although he was already known to the public. His first Waverley was published in 1814. Not to say that it gained success and fame, but it was highly appreciated by both critics and ordinary readers.

For a long time, Scott thought about what genre to write his novels in. The author had no doubt that they would be connected with history. But to be different from others and bring something new to literary world, he developed a completely new structure and thereby created a novel. In him real personalities act only as a background and reflection of the era, and come to the fore fictional characters, whose fate is influenced historical events.

Walter Scott, whose biography and work are united by his love for the past, wrote twenty-eight novels during his life. This is an incredible performance of the writer, because his first novel was published when he was already forty-two years old!

Until 1819, Scott wrote works with a keen socio-historical focus. For example, "The Puritans" (about the rebellion against the Stuart dynasty), "Rob Roy" (about the Scottish Robin Hood), etc.

Afterwards, the themes of his works expanded significantly. If before the writer was only interested in Scottish history, now he turns to events in England and France (“Ivanhoe”,

Beginning in 1820, Walter Scott, whose biography would later become a source of inspiration for many writers, published a number of historical works("History of Scotland", "Life of Napoleon Bonaparte").

He became a hero for his country. Walter Scott, a biography whose work was of great importance for the Scots, made the whole world know the history of his homeland thanks to his writings.

Ivanhoe

For the Russian reader, the most significant in the writer’s bibliography is his novel “Ivanhoe.” It is taught at school and read to boys who dream of the glory of a knight, and to romantic girls who yearn for love.

Already in the nineteenth century, this novel was recognized as a classic of literature. The circulation and speed of book sales for that time were simply phenomenal.

The novel's attention is drawn exclusively to English culture. The author describes the events taking place during the reign of Richard the First. The basis of the plot was the struggle between the Saxons and Normans.

The book has been filmed four times and adapted into opera twice.

Death of a Writer

Walter Scott's life was incredibly eventful, successful and, without a doubt, happy. But poor health and a complete lack of rest made themselves felt.

In 1830, the writer’s arm was paralyzed. And on September 21, 1832, a heart attack occurred, which took the life of Sir Walter.

Personal life

Walter Scott, full biography which will be described shortly after the death of the writer, was a faithful and respectable man. He fell in love twice in his life. This happened for the first time in 1791. It was Williamina Belches, the daughter of a lawyer from Edinburgh. But she chose the banker over him.

In 1796, Scott met a Frenchwoman, Charlotte Charpentier, whom he married a year later. The couple had four children (Sophia, Walter, Anna, Charles).

1. The author's first novels were published anonymously, and then under the pseudonym Waverly.
2. The writer acquired most of his encyclopedic knowledge on his own; for this he only had to read the book once, which once again confirms the fact of his excellent memory.
3. It was Scott who coined the term "freelancer" in his novel Ivanhoe.

Sir Walter Scott (eng. Walter Scott; August 15, 1771, Edinburgh - September 21, 1832, Abbotsford, buried in Dryburgh)- world famous British writer, poet, historian, collector of antiquities, lawyer, Scottish by birth. Considered the founder of the genre historical novel.

Born in Edinburgh, the son of a wealthy Scottish lawyer, Walter John (1729-1799) and Anna Rutherford (1739-1819), the daughter of a professor of medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He was the ninth child in the family, but when he was six months old, only three remained alive. In a family of 13 children, six survived.

In January 1772, he fell ill with infantile paralysis, lost the mobility of his right leg and remained lame forever. Twice - in 1775 and in 1777 - he was treated in the resort towns of Bath and Prestonpans. His childhood was closely connected with the Scottish Borders, where he spent time on his grandfather's farm in Sandinow, as well as at his uncle's house near Kelso. Despite his physical disability, already in early age amazed those around him with his lively mind and phenomenal memory.

In 1778 he returned to Edinburgh. From 1779 he studied at Edinburgh school, and in 1785 he entered Edinburgh College. In college, he became interested in mountaineering, became physically stronger, and gained popularity among his peers as an excellent storyteller. He read a lot, including ancient authors, was fond of novels and poetry, and especially emphasized the traditional ballads and tales of Scotland. Together with his friends, he organized a “Poetry Society” at college, studied German and became acquainted with the work of German poets.

The year 1792 became important for Scott: at the University of Edinburgh he passed the bar exam. From that time on he became a respectable man with prestigious profession and has his own legal practice. In the first years of independent legal practice, he traveled a lot around the country, collecting folk legends and ballads about Scottish heroes of the past. He became interested in translating German poetry and anonymously published his translations of Bürger's ballad "Lenora".

In 1791, he met his first love, Williamina Belshes, the daughter of an Edinburgh lawyer. For five years he tried to achieve Villamina's reciprocity, but the girl kept him in uncertainty and in the end chose William Forbes, the son of a wealthy banker, whom she married in 1796. Unrequited love has become young man with a strong blow; Particles of Villamina’s image subsequently appeared more than once in the heroines of the writer’s novels.

In 1797 he married Charlotte Carpenter (Charlotte Charpentier) (1770-1826). In life he was an exemplary family man, a good, sensitive, tactful, grateful person; loved his Abbotsford estate, which he rebuilt into a small castle; He loved trees, pets, and a good meal with his family.

In 1830 he suffered his first stroke of apoplexy, which paralyzed him. right hand. In 1830-1831 Scott experienced two more apoplexy.

Currently, Scott's Abbotsford estate houses a museum for the famous writer.

Sir Walter Scott (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832) – world famous English writer, translator, historian and lawyer. It is believed that Walter Scott is the founder of a new genre in literature - the historical novel.

Childhood

Walter Scott was born on August 15 in Edinburgh. His father was a hereditary lawyer whose ancestors lived in Scotland. The mother of the future writer was of aristocratic origin and was the daughter of hereditary doctors.
Walter was the ninth child in a family of 13 children. However, due to the plague and cholera epidemic that reigned at that time, only three children remained alive, including Walter.

A year after birth, the baby suffers from infantile paralysis. At that time, there were no treatment methods or specialists in the world who could help the child cope with the disease. Therefore, Walter Scott, having experienced the most serious condition and having started to recover, he completely lost the mobility and sensitivity of his right leg (later this was what affected his peculiar lame gait).

Due to his illness, which has greatly weakened the children’s body, Scott is forced to go to resorts several times for treatment. Over the course of several years of his life, he visited Bath and Prestonpans, restoring his failing health. And then he was transported from Edinburgh to his grandfather’s farm, located in Sandinow, where the parents planned to completely cure the child of paralysis (but, unfortunately, their desire did not yield results).

Youth and the beginning of a writing career

In 1785, having finished high school, Walter Scott enters Edinburgh College. This period is a turning point in the entire biography of the future writer.

At first, he tries to maximize his physical endurance and even goes mountain climbing for a while, despite his physical disability. By the way, it is thanks to sports that Walter manages to strengthen his body and immunity for subsequent numerous trips.

In addition, the young man begins to become seriously interested in literature and, in particular, ancient manuscripts, ballads, legends and traditions of his native Scotland. For his aspirations, and also for being incredibly rich lexicon, acquired by Scott after reading numerous books, he becomes the life of the party and gains the status of an excellent storyteller.

In the same year, Walter Scott, together with several fellow classmates, organized the Poetry Society at the college. Its participants have the opportunity not only to share their impressions of the books they have read, but also to learn German, as well as bring their own stories and poems for review. Soon the Poetry Society becomes one of the most popular in the college.

In 1792, Scott decided to try himself in the legal field and successfully passed all the bar exams. He is entrusted with several cases at once, as a result of which he is forced to travel around the country for some time. Walter does not waste time - he combines his work as a lawyer with collecting new and even more interesting Scottish legends. By the way, he even translates some of them into English language. In particular, at this time he anonymously published his translation of Bürger's ballad "Lenora".

Since 1796, Walter Scott has left his position as a lawyer and concentrated his attention on creative career writer. Initially, he openly published translations of the ballads “Wild Hunter” and “Lenora”, and later, in 1799, a translation into german drama Goethe "Goetz von Berlichingen". Since 1800, the active independent creativity of the aspiring writer began. Scott's works such as Midsummer's Evening, Songs of the Scottish Border, Marmion and others appear in publications.

After some time, Walter Scott began creating his famous historical novels. Following the traditions of Shakespeare, he describes, rather, not the characters themselves, creating a story for them, but, on the contrary, talks about the inevitable and constant flow of this very story, which affects the life and actions of each hero. Walter Scott's view of the world would soon be called "providentialist" (from the Latin word meaning God's will).

Scott's first historical novel was Waverley, completed and published in 1814. This is followed by such works with socio-historical conflicts as “Guy Mannering” (1815), “The Antiquary” (1816), “The Puritans” (1816), “Rob Roy” (1818), “The Legend of Montrose” (1819) and other. After their release, Walter Scott became famous throughout the world, and many of his works different time staged in theater and cinema.

Personal life

Walter Scott was married twice. He first fell in love in 1791 with Villamina Belches, the daughter of a famous lawyer in the city. The young people were in difficult relationships, since Vinyamina kept Scott a little at a distance for five years. Finally, when it happened between the lovers serious conversation, it turned out that Vinyamina had long been engaged to the son of a local banker, so Walter found himself alone with his broken hearted and the unattainable desire to return first love.

Six years later, he meets an ordinary girl - saleswoman Charlotte Carpenter, whom he marries six months later. U happy couple twins are born. Scott loved and cherished children very much.

Sir Walter Scott- world famous English writer, poet and historian, Scottish by birth. He is considered the founder of the historical novel genre. He had a phenomenal memory.

Biography

Born in Edinburgh to the lawyer Walter Scott (1729-1799), his mother, Anne Rutherford, was the daughter of a professor of medicine at the University of Edinburgh. In a family of 12 children, six survived; Walter was the 9th child. At an early age he suffered from infantile paralysis, which led to atrophy of the muscles of his right leg and lifelong lameness. Despite his physical handicap, already at an early age he amazed those around him with his lively mind and phenomenal memory. Scott's childhood was closely associated with the Scottish Borders, where he spent time on his grandfather's farm in Sandinow, as well as at his uncle's house near Kelso.

In college, Scott became interested in mountaineering, became physically stronger, and gained popularity among his peers as an excellent storyteller. He read a lot, including ancient authors, was fond of novels and poetry, and especially emphasized the traditional ballads and tales of Scotland. In 1786, Walter Scott entered his father's office as an apprentice, and from 1789 to 1792. studied law in preparation to become a lawyer. Together with his friends, he organized a “Poetry Society” at college, studied German and became acquainted with the work of German poets.

In the first years of independent legal practice, Walter Scott traveled around the country, along the way collecting folk legends and ballads about Scottish heroes of the past. He became interested in translating German poetry and anonymously published his translations of Bürger's ballad "Lenora". In 1791, he met his first love, Williamina Belches, the daughter of an Edinburgh lawyer. Scott tried for five years to achieve Williamina's reciprocity, but the girl kept him in uncertainty and in the end chose William Forbes, the son of a wealthy banker, whom she married in 1796. Unrequited love became a severe blow for the young man; Pieces of Villamina’s image subsequently appeared more than once in the heroines of the writer’s novels.

Scott's novels fall into two main groups. The first is devoted to the recent past of Scotland, the period civil war: from the Puritan revolution of the 16th century. before the defeat of the highland clans in the middle of the 18th century, - and partly at a later time ["Waverley", "Guy Mannering" (Gay Mannering, 1815), "Edinburgh Prison" (The Heart of Midlothian, 1818), "Scottish Puritans" (Old mortality, 1816), “The bride of Lammermoor” (1819), “Rob Roy” (1817), “The Monastery” (1820). “The Abbot” (The Abbot, 1820), “Waters of St. Ronan” (St. Ronan’s Well, 1823), “The Antiquary” (1816), etc.]. In these novels, Scott develops an unusually rich realistic type. This is a whole gallery of Scottish types of the most diverse social strata, but mainly types of the petty bourgeoisie, peasantry and declassed poor. Brightly specific, speaking rich and varied vernacular, they form a background that can only be compared with Shakespeare's “Falstaffian background.” In this background there is a lot of bright comedy, but next to the comic figures, many plebeian characters are artistically equal with heroes from the upper classes. In some novels they are the main characters; in Edinburgh Prison the heroine is the daughter of a small peasant tenant. Scott compared to "sentimental" literature XVIII V. takes a further step towards democratizing the novel and at the same time provides more vivid images. But more often than not, the main characters are conventionally idealized young people from the upper classes, devoid of much vitality.

Scott's second main group of novels deals with the past of England and continental countries, mainly the Middle Ages and the 16th century. (“Ivanhoe” (Ivanhoe, 1819), “Quentin Durward” (Quentin Durward, 1823), “Kenilworth” (Kenilworth, 1821), “Anne of Geierstein” (Anne of Geierstein, 1829), etc.). There is not that intimate, almost personal acquaintance with a still living legend; the realistic background is not so rich. But it is here that Scott especially develops his exceptional flair for past eras, which forced Auguste Thierry to call him “ the greatest master historical divination of all times." Scott's historicism is, first of all, external historicism, the resurrection of the atmosphere and color of the era. This side, based on solid knowledge, especially amazed Scott’s contemporaries, who were not accustomed to anything like this. The picture he gave of the “classical” Middle Ages (“Ivanhoe” - “Ivanhoe”, 1819) is now very outdated. But such a picture, at the same time thoroughly plausible and revealing a reality so different from modern times, has never existed in literature. This was a real discovery of a new world. But Scott's historicism is not limited to this external, sensory side. Each of his novels is based on a certain concept historical process V given time. Thus, “Quentin Dorward” gives not only a bright artistic image Louis XI and his entourage, but reveals the essence of his policy as a stage in the struggle of the bourgeoisie against feudalism. The “Ivanhoe” concept, where the central fact for England at the end of the 12th century. The national struggle between the Saxons and the Normans was put forward, which turned out to be unusually fruitful for the science of history - it was the impetus for the famous French historian Auguste Thierry. When assessing Scott, we must remember that his novels generally preceded the works of many historians of his time. In 1830 he suffered his first stroke of apoplexy, which paralyzed his right arm. And in 1832, unable to recover from the fourth blow, Walter Scott died.

Currently, Scott's Abbotsford estate houses a museum for the famous writer.

The article talks about a short biography of Walter Scott, an outstanding Scottish writer who is considered the founder of the historical novel.

Scott's biography: early years
Walter Scott was born in 1771 in Edinburgh. Since childhood, he was interested in Scottish ballads and legends, which was later reflected in his work. The future writer read a lot, his contemporaries noted his excellent gift as a storyteller. Scott had a phenomenal memory, which allowed him to write books without resorting to additional reference materials.
Scott's father was a lawyer, and his son began helping him with his business early on. He combined his work as a lawyer with collecting Scottish folklore material.
Scott married in 1797 family life required a constant source of income. For a while future writer worked as a sheriff, and then took the position of one of the clerks of the Scottish Supreme Court. Scott worked in this place until the end of his life and did not quit his job even when his literary work began to generate his main income.
At first, Scott was already translating famous authors. First own compositions The author's works bore the imprint of the influence of the famous Gothic school. IN late XVIII century, the writer begins to seriously study and analyze Scottish ballads. In 1802 he published a collection of ballads, which brought him his first fame. After some time, Scott publishes his poem "The Song of the Last Minstrel." The poem was used great success. They opened up in her best features new talented writer: an original and engaging story with elements fiction. It was followed by several other poems that established Scott's fame.
In 1814, Scott's first novel, Waverley, was published. Working in prose allowed the writer to further reveal his artistic skills. Scott masterfully portrays his characters using dialogue and a distinctive Scottish dialect. The novel was based on real historical events of the recent past, which attracted readers to it even more. This is where it starts and artistic method all subsequent novels by Scott. The writer takes as a basis any historical facts, some heroes are specific famous personalities, but the plot of the novel develops according to the author’s laws. Scott does not strive for historical accuracy; it is more important for him to show human destinies under certain conditions.
Over the next few years, Scott described events Scottish history, but the main characters of the novels were the English (novels “The Puritans”, “Rob Roy”, etc.). The writer began to be called a Scottish novelist. This forced Scott to abandon his favorite topic and turn to other topics.

Scott's biography: mature period
In 1819, the novel "Ivanhoe" was published, dedicated to English history. The work became the pinnacle of Scott's literary fame, in which his artistic talent was most fully revealed.
Having received well-deserved recognition, Scott again turns to the history of Scotland and writes novels on this topic. The public eagerly awaits each new publication by Scott, which meets with continued success. The writer's fame spreads across the continent.
In 1825, an event occurred that influenced Scott's entire life. After the financial crisis, the owner of the printing press and the publisher of Scott's works declared themselves bankrupt. The writer took on the entire debt, and it amounted to an impressive amount. From now on literary work the writer was subject to the payment of this debt.
Scott is engaged in a titanic task, and he does it entirely from memory. He writes "The Life of Napoleon" in nine volumes, a two-volume "History of Scotland" and other voluminous works. This stress had an extremely negative impact on the writer’s health; he suffered several severe apoplectic strokes. Scott wants to continue working and only at the insistence of doctors agrees to a sea voyage, which was supposed to improve his physical and spiritual strength. Even during the journey he did not stop literary activity and on the way I felt worse. Scott, feeling the approach of death, asked to return to his homeland. The writer died in 1832.
Scott became a master of the historical novel. His works are distinguished by great artistic skill and rich dialogues. The writer’s novels are far from historical accuracy, as he himself pointed out. But they are able to instill in the reader a love of history. Interestingly, some famous historians began to develop certain issues under the influence of Scott's novels.