Rich in history, Scotland has spawned famous writers and poets over many centuries. Test your knowledge with our Scottish Literature Quiz
The Scottish Literature Quiz
Results
#1. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, famous as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was also a qualified ....?
Unlucky! He was a Doctor
#2. Which of these was not a book by famous Scottish novelist Alasdair MacLean?
Unlucky! Day of the Jackal was written by Frederick Forsyth
#3. In 1994 James Kelman won the Booker Prize for which book?
Unlucky! How Late it Was, How Late was his book that won the Booker Prize in 1994
#4. Long John Silver appears in which Robert Louis Stevenson novel?
Unlucky! He appeared in Treasure Island
#5. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, published in 1961, was written by?
Unlucky! Murial Spark wrote this famous book
#6. Irvine Welch's famous Trainspotting book was set in which Scottish City?
Unlucky! Leith in Edinburgh was the backdrop for this book
#7. Published in 1915, The Thirty Nine Steps was written by ?
Unlucky! It was John Buchan who wrote it
#8. Ian Rankin's famous Detective creation is?
Unlucky! Inspector Rebus is Ian Rankin’s famous detective series
#9. The first installment of Ali Smith's Seasonal Quartet, published in 2016, was which season?
Unlucky! The first installment of the seasonal quartet was Autumn published in 2016
#10. Who wrote the poem "Address to a Haggis"?
Unlucky! Written in December 1786, this was the first of Robert Burns’s poems to be published in a newspaper (The Caledonian Mercury)
From heroic epics to poignant tragedy, early Scottish literature was dominated by poetry and in particular, John Barbour (c.1320-1395), Scottish poet and the first major named literary figure to write in Scots.
Perhaps the best known figure in Scottish literature internationally is Robert Burns (1759-1796), the national Bard, whose work is celebrated worldwide with Burns Suppers on 25 January each year. Regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, Burns’ work includes ‘A Red, Red Rose’, ‘Tam O’Shanter’, and ‘Ae Fond Kiss’, not to mention ‘Auld Lang Syne’ which is sung as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Day around the world.
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), recognized in Europe as the creator of the modern historical novel, was the first British novelist to become a famous public figure, pioneering a new type of romantic historiography. His novels, ballads, poems and other writings have been translated into almost every major language and the world’s largest monument to an author sits in Edinburgh, commemorating this Scottish author’s life and work.
In addition to it’s strong literary heritage, Scotland’s contemporary writers have contributed some of the most revered and best-loved works to the international literary canon. The list of acclaimed Scottish writers of fiction, poetry and theatre include: A L Kennedy, Ali Smith, Jackie Kay, Kate Atkinson, Iain Banks, Janice Galloway, Liz Lochhead, Leila Aboulela, Alasdair Gray, Gregory Burke, Irvine Welsh, Andrew O’Hagan, James Robertson, Don Paterson, Kathleen Jamie, Douglas Dunn, Edwin Morgan, Jenni Fagan, John Burnside; the list goes on.
In 2020, Douglas Stuart was only the second Scot to win the Booker Prize, with his debut novel Shuggie Bain. The first was James Kelman in 1994 with his masterpiece, How Late It Was, How Late.
Carol Ann Duffy, the UK’s former Poet Laureate, hails from Glasgow and world-famous authors Alexander McCall Smith (No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series), Ian Rankin (Rebus series) and JK Rowling (Harry Potter series) all live and work in Edinburgh.
Scotland is the home of internationally revered nature writing that reflects our landscapes. The recognised classic is Nan Sherherd’s The Living Mountain, with the author’s face now featured on the £5 note. Contemporary writers maintaining the tradition include Jim Crumley and poet and essayist Kathleen Jamie. Perhaps our greatest contemporary literary export is Tartan Noir, which many believe to have grown from the 1977 novel Laidlaw, from legendary Scottish author William MacIlvanney. The current crop of authors with growing international reputations and readerships include Val McDermid, Denise Mina, Peter May and Christopher Brookmyre.
Here is a selection of great Scottish books to read
Check out our reading list for the Best British Books of the 21st Century
