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Links in the Chain of Life
The autobiography of the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel series.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1947
5 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Emmuska Orczy
856 books1,122 followersFull name: Emma ("Emmuska") Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orczi was a Hungarian-British novelist, best remembered as the author of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1905). Baroness Orczy's sequels to the novel were less successful. She was also an artist, and her works were exhibited at the Royal Academy, London. Her first venture into fiction was with crime stories. Among her most popular characters was The Old Man in the Corner, who was featured in a series of twelve British movies from 1924, starring Rolf Leslie.
Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarnaörs, Hungary, as the only daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, a noted composer and conductor, and his wife Emma. Her father was a friend of such composers as Wagner, Liszt, and Gounod. Orczy moved with her parents from Budapest to Brussels and then to London, learning to speak English at the age of fifteen. She was educated in convent schools in Brussels and Paris. In London she studied at the West London School of Art. Orczy married in 1894 Montague Barstow, whom she had met while studying at the Heatherby School of Art. Together they started to produce book and magazine illustrations and published an edition of Hungarian folktales.
Orczy's first detective stories appeared in magazines. As a writer she became famous in 1903 with the stage version of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarnaörs, Hungary, as the only daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, a noted composer and conductor, and his wife Emma. Her father was a friend of such composers as Wagner, Liszt, and Gounod. Orczy moved with her parents from Budapest to Brussels and then to London, learning to speak English at the age of fifteen. She was educated in convent schools in Brussels and Paris. In London she studied at the West London School of Art. Orczy married in 1894 Montague Barstow, whom she had met while studying at the Heatherby School of Art. Together they started to produce book and magazine illustrations and published an edition of Hungarian folktales.
Orczy's first detective stories appeared in magazines. As a writer she became famous in 1903 with the stage version of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 12, 2025
First, this book won't be for the casual reader. It really is a niche book that speaks to those who want to know more about the author of The Scarlet Pimpernal: by Baroness Orczy, and for those wanting to read something by a woman 'who was there' during the passing of an age (where the Victorians give way to the Edwardians, and later to the 1920s).
Orczy knew a lot of famous people in the arts: singers, actors, painters, and while most of those names are now gathering dust, its fascinating to read the circles she inhabited. Her life touches upon many famous events such as living nearby where one of the Jack the Ripper victims was found (coming home her and husband were diverted by a friend because of the body) and commenting how tours were given to gawkers so they could visit the locations of where the murders happened.
When it comes to name-dropping and believing God directed her steps to write her famous book, Orczy goes on far too long. But she's also a pro at obscuring information she doesn't want in the public arena such as the existence of a sister who dies when she is a teenager in London (even her official online biographies state her as the 'only child' whereas her own biography says no to that); her beloved father's passing is mentioned in one line; and how she met her husband is so private that she skips it to go immediately into their married life.
Also, you can expect the typical racism and sexism of the times to rear their heads.
If you want to know "how the Victorian's lived" this is a fascinating deep dive by someone who lived it. And in that area, I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know the everyday life of that historical period from someone who was there.
But overall the autobiography it is not a thrilling ride, but a slow boat drifting along a picturesque canal.
Orczy knew a lot of famous people in the arts: singers, actors, painters, and while most of those names are now gathering dust, its fascinating to read the circles she inhabited. Her life touches upon many famous events such as living nearby where one of the Jack the Ripper victims was found (coming home her and husband were diverted by a friend because of the body) and commenting how tours were given to gawkers so they could visit the locations of where the murders happened.
When it comes to name-dropping and believing God directed her steps to write her famous book, Orczy goes on far too long. But she's also a pro at obscuring information she doesn't want in the public arena such as the existence of a sister who dies when she is a teenager in London (even her official online biographies state her as the 'only child' whereas her own biography says no to that); her beloved father's passing is mentioned in one line; and how she met her husband is so private that she skips it to go immediately into their married life.
Also, you can expect the typical racism and sexism of the times to rear their heads.
If you want to know "how the Victorian's lived" this is a fascinating deep dive by someone who lived it. And in that area, I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know the everyday life of that historical period from someone who was there.
But overall the autobiography it is not a thrilling ride, but a slow boat drifting along a picturesque canal.
Displaying 1 of 1 review