Tales of the Wars of Montrose

Tales of the Wars of Montrose, too, though held together by internal connections and the common historical context, displays a similar delight in literary form, beginning with the conscious imitation of Defoe, ‘Some Remarkable Passages in the Life of an Edinburgh Baillie Written by himself’. The dates and details of the opening narrative (admirably glossed by Gillian Hughes) enable Hogg to follow Defoe in exploring the relationship between literature and history, truth and fiction, while also creating a foundation for the subsequent tales of romantic intrigue, Ossianic tragedy, adventure and vendetta all over Scotland. It is hard to imagine a tale less like the Edinburgh Baillie’s memoirs than that of ‘Sir Simon Brodie’, whose quixotic adventures include being thrown overboard in the Firth of Forth by the Duke of Argyll and rescued from his predicament by an amorous seal -- Fiona Stafford
Admirably glossed by Gillian Hughes -- Fiona Stafford
Tales of the Wars of Montrose is a big book about a big historical period, and it positions Hogg strongly in the line of historical writers who require to be taken seriously. -- Ian Campbell