The New Penguin Book of Scottish Short Stories

Book excerpt: In the art of the short story, Scotland's writers have led the way. The earliest in this anthology, those of Sir Walter Scott and James Hogg, are rich in folklore, proverb, superstition, and sinister humor. Throughout this collection, a preoccupation with the supernatural emerges, from the spiritual torment of John Buchan's "The Outgoing of the Tide" to the chilling premonition of Muriel Spark's "The House of the Famous Poet". While stories such as "Alicky's Watch" depict the influence of the Calvinist religion, darker subjects are frequently offset by the comedy found in tales like "A Wee Nip". Among the other contributors to this spirited collection are Robert Louis Stevenson, Naomi Mitchison, and George Mackay Brown.