Description: This now-famous book was given a hostile reception when it first appeared in 1824. It was not reprinted until the late 1830s, when a heavily bowdlerised version was included in a posthumous edition of Hogg's collected Tales and Sketches published by Blackie & Son of Glasgow. Thereafter Confessions of a Justified Sinner attracted little interest until the 1890s, when the unbowdlerised text was printed for the first time since the 1820s. However, the high reputation of Hogg's novel did not fully begin to establish itself until 1947, when a warmly enthusiastic Introduction by André Gide appeared in a new edition of the unbowdlerised text. He went on to record how he had read 'this astounding book [...] with a stupefaction and admiration that increased at every page'. Many readers have subsequently shared Gide's enthusiasm, and Confessions of a Justified Sinner is now widely recognised as one of the outstanding British novels of the Romantic era. It has also been acclaimed as one of the defining texts of Scotland, with Iain Crichton Smith applauding 'a towering Scottish novel, one of the very greatest of all Scottish books'.
Brief description: James Hogg was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots and English. He is best known for his novel The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.
Review Quotes: This is the most reliable text we have, and until the manuscript is found it is the best text we shall ever have... Peter Garside's annotation is magnificent: it is full, it helps the reader, and it illuminates the text...This truly is a great novel, and at last we have an edition worthy of it.--David Hewitt, University of Aberdeen