# Emmuska Orczy

## Biography

Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy, was born Emma Magdalena Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci in Tarnaörs, Hungary, on September 23, 1865. The daughter of a baron and a noted composer, she grew up in an aristocratic household before her family relocated across Europe, eventually settling in London. There, Orczy pursued an education in art, exhibiting some of her paintings at the Royal Academy.

She married fellow artist Montague Barstow in 1894, and facing financial struggles, she turned to writing. Her greatest success came with "The Scarlet Pimpernel," a tale of an English aristocrat rescuing French nobles during the Reign of Terror, which she initially conceived as a play in 1903. The subsequent novel, published in 1905, became an international sensation, pioneering the "hero with a secret identity" trope. Orczy penned numerous sequels to her celebrated work, alongside other historical romances and detective stories, including those featuring Lady Molly of Scotland Yard and The Old Man in the Corner. She passed away in London in 1947, leaving a legacy of adventure and suspense.

## Books

- [The Scarlet Pimpernel](https://samolit.com/books/96134)