author
Andrew Erskine
1739–1793
A witty Scottish poet and soldier from the Erskine family, he is best remembered for the lively letters he exchanged with James Boswell. His surviving work gives a quick, sharp glimpse of Edinburgh literary life in the 1760s.
1 Audiobook
Critical Strictures on the New Tragedy of Elvira, Written by Mr. David Malloch
by James Boswell, George Dempster, Andrew Erskine
About the author
Born in 1739 or 1740, Andrew Erskine was the youngest son of Alexander Erskine, 5th Earl of Kellie, and grew up at Carnbee in Fife. He later served in the army, holding a commission in the 71st Regiment of Foot and then the 24th Regiment.
Erskine is most closely associated with James Boswell. Their Letters between the Honourable Andrew Erskine, and James Boswell, Esq. became his best-known publication and helped preserve his reputation as a witty, playful correspondent with a real feel for comic writing.
He also wrote verse, including Town Eclogues, and spent much of his adult life in and around Edinburgh. Though not a major canonical figure today, he remains an appealing minor voice of eighteenth-century Scotland because of the humor, sociability, and literary energy that come through in his work.