James Hunter

Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia

James Hunter, Shetland author of dialect prose and poetry, was born on the 6th of February 1872 at Quoys, Billister, Nesting, the third of five children born to Peter Hunter (b. 30 May 1835, Billister) and his wife Grizel (Leask, b. 2 Nov 1837, Laxfirth). The family had lived at Billister for generations.

James is described as "a clever self-taught Nesting lad" whose "dialect is of the racy soil". He died relatively young on the 21st of September, 1920 at Billister, after which his works were collected in:

Posthumous Sketches and Poems, T and J Manson, 1924.

Da Last Foy: a sketch in the Shetlandic, T & J Manson, Lerwick, (reprinted three times, latterly 1947).

The Belgian's Bequest and other poems (?)