As a self-confessed bibliophile who devours fiction, choosing a favourite novel would have been no easy task for Scotland’s First Minister.

But yesterday Nicola Sturgeon took the plunge and named Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon as the work she cherishes most during an appearance at the 20th Wigtown Book Festival.

It came as Ms Sturgeon spoke to an audience about the books that have shaped her life in a discussion hosted by writer Damien Barr.

She said that if she had to select a favourite it would be Sunset Song, which is acclaimed for its starkly beautiful portrait of rural life in north-east Scotland at the start of the 20th century.

Ms Sturgeon also told audience members that her first experience of getting lost in stories was when she read Enid Blyton, author of the Famous Five and Secret Seven series.

And she revealed that her earliest memory of books involved her hiding under the table and reading at her own fifth birthday party. Politics was touched upon briefly as the First Minister made a light-hearted if pointed reference to yesterday’s combative statement from Prime Minister Theresa May after her Brexit plan was rejected by the EU.

Mr Barr asked: “Do you cry while reading books?”

“Yes, definitely,” answered Ms Sturgeon. “But not so hard as I sometimes cry at the news.

“That’s a different kind of fiction,” said Mr Barr, to which the First Minister, drawing laughter from the audience, quipped: “Especially Theresa May’s statement.”

Later, Ms Sturgeon added: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to spend time discussing the books I’ve had the benefit of reading over the years and that have helped shape my life, and the importance I place, both from a personal and professional perspective, on making time to lose myself in a book.

“The Wigtown Book Festival is a fantastic event on the literary calendar, and to have reached their 20th anniversary is a great achievement.

“I wish them all the best for a successful festival this year, and for many more to come.”

This year’s festival started yesterday and runs to September 30, with a line-up including novelist Louis de Bernieres, historian Tom Devine and crime writer Ann Cleeves.

Artistic director Adrian Turpin said: “This has been a great way to get our 20th festival under way.“We believe reading, hearing and telling stories are experiences everyone can enjoy and it’s important for events like ours to nurture a love of books. It’s enormously valuable for young people to have role models like the First Minister who share their own love of reading.”