The Pirate

Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet. Scott was the first modern English-language author to have a truly international career in his lifetime with many contemporary readers in Europe, Australia, and North America. His novels and poetry are still read, and many of his works remain classics of both English-language literature and Scottish literature.


The Pirate is a novel by Walter Scott published in 1822 supposedly based on the life of John who features as Captain Cleveland. The place of actions is the southern top of the main island of Shetland which Scott visited in 1814. On the one hand The Pirate is an adventure novel, but on the other one is a romantic story in which all events actively cooperate and harmoniously supplement each other. The arrival of the shipwrecked captain, Cleveland, spoils young relationship with the Troil girls and young man Mordaunt and soon a bitter rivalry grows between two men. No one knows who is who and the end of the story may both amaze you and move too deeply.