Classic Authors: Baroness Orczy

The daughter of a baron, Emmuska Magdalena Rosalia Maria Josepha Barbara Orczy lived in a world of glitz and glamour. Still, she longed for the long ago, forgotten times of chivalry and heroism. She dreamed of adventure, romance and, most of all, a dashing prince. When reality failed to produce the thrills she sought, Baroness Orczy produced her own worlds where such excitement did take place. She created princes and heroes in the guise of armchair sleuths and set them in the middle of great crimes and mysteries. Her imagination fueled dozens of suspense novels, making her the period's undisputed queen of detective fiction.

Emmuska was born on September 23, 1865, in Tarnaors, Hungary, the only child of Baron Felix Orczy and his wife, Emma. Felix was a nobleman in the court of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire as well as a noted composer and conductor. The Orczys lived in a sprawling farmhouse on the river Tarna, property that had been in the family for generations. Emmuska later recalled that the home reverberated with the sound of music and lively parties. When Emmuska was 5 years old, the farm servants set fire to the family's barns and stables, ruining their crops. In fear of an uprise, Baron Orczy moved his wife and daughter out of Hungary.

After moving throughout Europe, the Orczys settled in London, England. Emmuska fell in love with the city, which she later called her "spiritual birthplace." She learned English quickly and became interested in expressing herself through art. She explored music, but found that her real love was for painting. She thus attended the West London School of Art and Heatherley's Studio School. It was at the former institution that she met illustrator Montague Barstow, whom she later married.

As newlyweds, the couple enjoyed attending the opera, art exhibits, concerts and the theater. Emmuska became increasingly interested in the thrillers she saw on stage. They inspired her to try her hand at writing mysteries. She sold her first pieces featuring The Old Man in the Corner to Royal Magazine in 1901. The tales became extremely popular; the first collection of these stories appeared in book form in 1905. This year also saw the publication of Baroness Orczy's most famous work, The Scarlet Pimpernel. Emmuska wrote the novel in five weeks, only to have it rejected by most of the publishing houses in London. The story, however, came to the attention of Fred Terry and Julia Nielson, a husband and wife acting team, who were looking for a new romantic drama to perform. The play opened at the New Theatre in London in 1904, and became an instant hit. Although the critics denounced the play as old-fashioned, it became extremely popular by word-of-mouth. The Scarlet Pimpernel was published in book form in 1905.

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