Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) was a novelist, playwright and poet who enjoyed international fame during his lifetime. As a child, Scott was a voracious reader and loved listening to tales and legends of his native Scotland, which accounts for his later collections and publication of Scottish ballads. He developed the reputation as a historical novelist with the 1814 publication of «Waverly»; in fact, he was virtually responsible with the creation of the historical novel genre. Kenilworth is a novel set in 1575, about the secret marriage of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, to Amy Robsart, daughter of Sir Hugh Robsart. Tragedy befalls the ambition-driven Earl and his spoiled young wife at the hands of the greedy and villainous Varney. This poignant tale of love and intrigue in Elizabethan England is particularly enjoyable because of Scott's impeccable accuracy in describing settings, as well as his richly symbolic language.
