Baroness Orczy
Baroness Emma Orczy (full name: ''Emma Magdalena Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci'') (; 23 September 1865 – 12 November 1947), usually known as
Baroness Orczy (the name under which she was published) or to her family and friends as
Emmuska Orczy, was a Hungarian-born British novelist and playwright. She is best known for her series of novels featuring the
Scarlet Pimpernel, the alter ego of Sir Percy Blakeney, a wealthy English fop who turns into a quick-thinking
escape artist in order to save
French aristocrats from "Madame Guillotine" during the
French Revolution, establishing the "hero with a
secret identity" in popular culture. She is also known for her role in the
White Feather Movement.
Opening in London's
West End on 5 January 1905, ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' became a favourite of British audiences. Some of Orczy's paintings were exhibited at the
Royal Academy in London. She established the Women of England's Active Service League during World War I with the intention of empowering women to convince men to enlist in the military.
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