Baroness Orczy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Baroness (Emma) Orczy
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Portrait of Baroness Emma Orczy by Bassano
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| Born | Emma Magdalena Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci 23 September 1865 Tarnaörs, Heves County, Hungary, Austrian Empire |
| Died | 12 November 1947 (aged 82) Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, UK |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | Hungarian, British |
| Genre | Historical fiction, mystery fiction and adventure romances |
| Notable works | The Scarlet Pimpernel The Emperor's Candlesticks |
| Spouse |
Henry George Montagu MacLean Barstow
(m. 1894; died 1942) |
| Children | 1 |
Baroness Emma Orczy (born Emma Magdalena Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci) was a famous writer and playwright. She was born in Hungary on September 23, 1865, and later became a British citizen. She is best known for creating the character of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a hero with a secret identity. He is really Sir Percy Blakeney, a rich English gentleman. During the French Revolution, he secretly saves French nobles from danger. This idea of a hero hiding their true identity became very popular in stories. Her play, The Scarlet Pimpernel, opened in London in 1905 and was a huge hit.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to London
Emma Orczy was born in Tarnaörs, Hungary. Her father, Baron Félix Orczy, was a composer. Her mother was Countess Emma Wass. When Emma was young, her family moved often. They lived in Budapest, Brussels, and Paris.
In 1880, when Emma was 14, her family moved to London, England. She went to art schools there, including the Heatherley School of Fine Art. Even though she didn't become a painter, art school was important. She met Henry George Montagu MacLean Barstow, an illustrator, and they married in 1894. Emma described their marriage as very happy.
Becoming a Writer
Emma and Henry didn't have much money at first. Emma started working as a translator and illustrator to help out. Their only child, John Montague Orczy-Barstow, was born in 1899. After his birth, Emma began writing stories.
Her first novel, The Emperor's Candlesticks (1899), was not very successful. However, she found some fans with her detective stories in the Royal Magazine. Her next novel, In Mary's Reign (1901), did better.
The Scarlet Pimpernel's Big Success
In 1903, Emma and her husband wrote The Scarlet Pimpernel. This was a play based on one of her short stories. It was about an English nobleman, Sir Percy Blakeney, who rescued French aristocrats during the French Revolution. Emma thought of the character while waiting for a train in London.
She sent her novel version of the story to many publishers. While she waited, a theater in London decided to produce the play. At first, not many people came to see it. But soon, the play became incredibly popular. It ran for four years in London and broke many records. This success helped her novel sell millions of copies.
The Secret Identity Hero
The Scarlet Pimpernel introduced a new kind of hero. He was a "hero with a secret identity". Sir Percy Blakeney pretended to be a silly, fashionable gentleman. This made people think he was harmless. But in secret, he was a brave and clever escape artist. He used disguises and always outsmarted his enemies. He even left a small red flower, a scarlet pimpernel, as his calling card. He also had a group of friends, "The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel", who helped him.
Emma Orczy wrote many more books about Sir Percy Blakeney and his adventures. The first sequel, I Will Repay (1906), was very popular. Her last Pimpernel book, Mam'zelle Guillotine, was published in 1940. She also wrote other popular books, including mystery stories. Lady Molly of Scotland Yard featured one of the first female detectives in literature.
Later Life and Views
Emma Orczy's books were so successful that she bought a house in Monte Carlo. She lived there during World War II. Her husband, Montagu Barstow, passed away in Monte Carlo in 1942. After the war, she wrote her autobiography, Links in the Chain of Life (1947).
She had strong opinions about politics. During World War I, she started the Women of England's Active Service League. This group encouraged women to convince men to join the armed forces. About 20,000 women joined her organization.
Baroness Emma Orczy passed away on November 12, 1947, in Henley-on-Thames, England.
How to Say Her Name
Emma Orczy explained that her name is pronounced "Or-tsey." Her nickname, Emmuska, is pronounced "EM-moosh-ka."
Works
Translations
- Old Hungarian Fairy Tales (1895) – translated with Montague Barstow
- Uletka and the White Lizard (1895) – translated with Montague Barstow
- The Enchanted Cat (1895) – translated with Montague Barstow
- Fairyland's Beauty (1895) – translated with Montague Barstow
Plays
- The Scarlet Pimpernel (1903) – with Montague Barstow
- The Sin of William Jackson (1906) – with Montague Barstow
- Beau Brocade (1908) – with Montague Barstow
- The Duke's Wager (1911)
- The Legion of Honour (1918)
Short Story Collections
- The Case of Miss Elliott (1905) – part of The Man in The Corner Series
- The Old Man in the Corner (1909) – part of The Man in The Corner Series
- Unravelled Knots (1925) – part of The Man in The Corner Series
- The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1919) – Scarlet Pimpernel Series
- Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1929) – Scarlet Pimpernel Series
- Lady Molly of Scotland Yard (1910)
- The Man in Grey (1918)
- Castles in the Air (1921)
- Skin o' My Tooth (1928)
Novels
- The Emperor's Candlesticks (1899)
- In Mary's Reign (1901) (also known as The Tangled Skein)
- The Scarlet Pimpernel (1905)
- By the Gods Beloved (1905) (also known as The Gates of Kamt)
- A Son of the People (1906)
- I Will Repay (1906)
- Beau Brocade (1907)
- The Elusive Pimpernel (1908)
- The Nest of the Sparrowhawk (1909)
- Petticoat Government (1910)
- A True Woman (1911)
- The Good Patriots (1912)
- Fire in Stubble (1912)
- Meadowsweet (1912)
- Eldorado (1913)
- Unto Cæsar (1914)
- The Laughing Cavalier (1914)
- A Bride of the Plains (1915)
- The Bronze Eagle (1915)
- Leatherface (1916)
- Lord Tony's Wife (1917)
- A Sheaf of Bluebells (1917)
- Flower o' the Lily (1918)
- His Majesty's Well-beloved (1919)
- The First Sir Percy (1921)
- The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1922)
- Nicolette: A Tale of Old Provence (1922)
- The Honourable Jim (1924)
- Pimpernel and Rosemary (1924)
- The Miser of Maida Vale (1925)
- A Question of Temptation (1925)
- The Celestial City (1926)
- Sir Percy Hits Back (1927)
- Blue Eyes and Grey (1928)
- Marivosa (1930)
- A Joyous Adventure (1932)
- A Child of the Revolution (1932)
- The Scarlet Pimpernel Looks at the World (1933)
- The Way of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1933)
- A Spy of Napoleon (1934)
- The Uncrowned King (1935)
- The Turbulent Duchess (1935)
- Sir Percy Leads the Band (1936)
- The Divine Folly (1937)
- No Greater Love (1938)
- Mam'zelle Guillotine (1940)
- Pride of Race (1942)
- The Will-O'-The-Wisp (1947)
Autobiography
- Links in the Chain of Life (1947)
Film Adaptations
Many of Emma Orczy's books have been made into movies:
- 1916: Beau Brocade
- 1917: The Laughing Cavalier
- 1919: The Elusive Pimpernel
- 1923: I Will Repay
- 1928: Two Lovers
- 1928: The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel
- 1934: The Scarlet Pimpernel
- 1936: The Emperor's Candlesticks
- 1936: Spy of Napoleon
- 1937: The Emperor's Candlesticks
- 1937: Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel
- 1950: The Elusive Pimpernel
- 1982: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Images for kids
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H.M. Brock's cover of Baroness Orczy's The Old Man in the Corner (popular edition, Greening & Co., London, 1910).
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The Laughing Cavalier was serialised in Adventure in 1914
See also
In Spanish: Emma Orczy para niños
