The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner is a novel by Scottish author James Hogg. It was originally published in 1824.It is considered a gothic novel, psychological mystery, metafiction, and satire. It can also be thought of as an early example of modern crime fiction in which the story is told, for the most part, from the point of view of its criminal anti-hero. Since the latter part of the twentieth century it has won greater critical interest and attention. It was described by the critic Walter Allen as 'the most convincing representation of the power of evil in our literature'.