The Scarlet Pimpernel Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Initial publication

Orczy wrote the original manuscript for The Scarlet Pimpernel in five weeks during what she described as "The happiest time of her life".[8] It was rejected by most publishing houses in London, despite her previous successes with her armchair detective stories, primarily The Old Man in the Corner which first appeared in The Royal Magazine in 1901 in a series of six "Mysteries of London". Eventually a friend put Orczy in contact with the actors Fred Terry and Julia Neilson who wanted a new romantic drama. The Scarlet Pimpernel was produced and adapted by Neilson and Terry and the play opened on 15 October 1903 at Nottingham's Theatre Royal, but it was not a success. Terry, however, had confidence in the play and, with a rewritten last act, took it to London's West End where it opened at the New Theatre on 5 January 1905. The premiere of the London production was enthusiastically received by the audience, but critics considered the play 'old-fashioned.'[9] In spite of negative reviews, the play became a popular success, running 122 performances and enjoying numerous revivals. The Scarlet Pimpernel became a favourite of London audiences, playing more than 2,000 performances and becoming one of the most popular shows staged in the United Kingdom.[10] The stage play (and subsequent novel), with their hero and villain, were so popular that they inspired a revival of classic villainy at the time.[2]

The novel The Scarlet Pimpernel was published two years after the play opened and was an immediate success. Orczy gained a following of readers in Britain and throughout the world. The popularity of the novel encouraged her to write a number of sequels for her "reckless daredevil" over the next 35 years. The play was performed to great acclaim in France, Italy, Germany and Spain, while the novel was popular across the former British Empire and translated into 16 languages.[1] Subsequently, the story has been adapted for television, film, a musical and other media.

The commercial success of The Scarlet Pimpernel allowed Orczy and her husband to live out their lives in luxury. Over the years, they lived on an estate in Kent, a bustling London home and an opulent villa in Monte Carlo. Conceiving the character while standing on a platform on the London Underground,[3] Orczy wrote in her autobiography, Links in the Chain of Life:

I have so often been asked the question: "But how did you come to think of The Scarlet Pimpernel?" And my answer has always been: "It was God's will that I should." And to you moderns, who perhaps do not believe as I do, I will say, "In the chain of my life, there were so many links, all of which tended towards bringing me to the fulfillment of my destiny."[11]

Sequels

Orczy wrote numerous sequels, none of which became as famous as The Scarlet Pimpernel. Many of the sequels revolve around French characters whom Sir Percy has met and is attempting to rescue. His followers, such as Lord Tony Dewhurst, Sir Andrew Ffoulkes, Lord Hastings, and Armand St. Just (Marguerite's brother), also take their turn in major roles.

In addition to the direct sequels about Sir Percy and his league, Orczy's related books include The Laughing Cavalier (1914) and The First Sir Percy (1921), about an ancestor of the Pimpernel's; Pimpernel and Rosemary (1924), about a descendant; and The Scarlet Pimpernel Looks at the World (1933), a depiction of the 1930s world from the point of view of Sir Percy.

Some of her non-related Revolutionary-period novels reference the Scarlet Pimpernel or the League, most notably The Bronze Eagle (1915).

Novels

• The Scarlet Pimpernel (1905)
• I Will Repay (1906)
• The Elusive Pimpernel (1908)
• Eldorado (1913)
• Lord Tony's Wife (1917)
• The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1922)
• Sir Percy Hits Back (1927)
• A Child of the Revolution (1932)
• The Way of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1933)
• Sir Percy Leads the Band (1936)
• Mam'zelle Guillotine (1940)

Collections of short stories

• The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1919)
• Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1929)

Omnibus editions

• The Scarlet Pimpernel etc. (1930) collection of four novels
• The Gallant Pimpernel (1939) collection of four novels
• The Scarlet Pimpernel Omnibus (1952) collection of four novels

Related books

• The Laughing Cavalier (1913) (about an ancestor of the Scarlet Pimpernel)
• The First Sir Percy (1920) (about an ancestor of the Scarlet Pimpernel)
• Pimpernel and Rosemary (1924) (about a descendant of the Scarlet Pimpernel)
• The Scarlet Pimpernel Looks at the World (1933) (Sir Percy viewing the world in the 1930s)