The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

James Hogg (1770-1835), 'The Ettrick Shepherd', was one of Scotland's finest poets, and has been cited as a major influence by contemporary Scottish writers like Irvine Welsh (author of 'Trainspotting'). 'The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner' is Hogg's most idiosyncratic work: a bizarre mixture of supernatural horror, religious satire and black comedy. The book was ignored in the author's own lifetime, but is now considered a masterpiece.