&quot;The Pirate&quot; is a novel by the Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1822 and considered a masterpiece.&nbsp;<br />For &quot;The Pirate&quot;, Scott drew on his memories of a voyage to the Northern Isles in 1814, as guest of a commission inspecting Scotland&#39;s lighthouses. The novel was finished in little more than three months and was ready for publication in late October 1821.&nbsp;<br />Hence, the novel is set at the beginning of the 18th century on the Shetland Islands, where Basil Mertoun lives as a tenant of Magnus Troil. In his youth, Mertoun has been betrayed by an unfaithful wife, and in a spirit of revenge, turned to piracy. Filled with self-reproach for his crimes, he lives as a recluse, along with his wife&#39;s son Mordaunt, whose paternity is doubtable.<br />&quot;The Pirate&quot; is also the story of the complicated romantic lives of the Troil sisters, Minna and Brenda.