Walter Scott (1771-1832) - Scottish writer, born in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, which was part of Great Britain. His family was old and not poor: father-lawyer, mother-daughter of a professor of medicine. At an early age he contracted polio, which led to muscle atrophy. At an early age, he contracted polio, which led to atrophy of the muscles of the right leg and lifelong lameness. Despite the physical defect, at an early age he stunned others with a lively mind and phenomenal memory. The parents loved their son infinitely, and he grew weak and sickly. At his father's request, W. Scott became a lawyer, but became interested in folklore and history. The meeting with the greatest Scottish poet Robert Burns made a great impression on him. W. Scott wrote poetry, worked on a collection of Scottish folk ballads, but entered the history of world literature as the father of the historical novel. To the Scots, he is more than a writer. He revived the historical memory of the people, opened Scotland to the rest of the world and especially to England.