author
Henry Mackenzie
1745–1831
A key figure in Edinburgh’s literary world, this Scottish writer is best remembered for The Man of Feeling, the sentimental novel that made him famous in the 1770s. He also helped shape the city’s cultural life as a lawyer, editor, critic, and champion of other writers.
1 Audiobook
The Man of Feeling
by Henry Mackenzie
About the author
Born in Edinburgh in 1745, Henry Mackenzie trained in law and spent much of his working life in public service, but literature brought him lasting fame. His novel The Man of Feeling appeared in 1771 and quickly established him as one of Scotland’s best-known authors. He later wrote The Man of the World and Julia de Roubigné, along with plays, essays, and periodical writing.
Mackenzie was deeply involved in the intellectual life of Edinburgh during the Scottish Enlightenment and was sometimes called the “Addison of the North.” Beyond his own books, he was an active editor and critic whose opinions mattered in literary circles.
He is also remembered for encouraging other writers, including Robert Burns and Walter Scott. Mackenzie died in Edinburgh in 1831, after a long life spent close to the city where he was born and where he became one of its most familiar literary voices.