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Name of the author: Saki
Name of the lesson: The Open Window
Hector Hugh Munro**
Hector Hugh Munro, also known as H. H. Munro, was an English writer who satirised Edwardian society and culture with his witty, mischievous, and occasionally ghastly writings. He is regarded as a master of the short story by English scholars and is frequently compared to great writers such as O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. Munro wrote under the pen name "Saki".
Munro was born on \(18\)th December \(1870\) in Burma (which was then part of British India) but grew up in England following his mother's death in \(1872\). His father, Charles Augustus Munro, was an Inspector General for the Indian Imperial Police, and his mother, Mary Frances Mercer, was the daughter of a major-general in the Royal Navy.
Munro was educated at Exmouth and Bedford grammar school; in \(1893\), he joined the Burma police but soon returned to England as he often fell ill. Later, he decided to make a living as a writer.
Munro was born on \(18\)th December \(1870\) in Burma (which was then part of British India) but grew up in England following his mother's death in \(1872\). His father, Charles Augustus Munro, was an Inspector General for the Indian Imperial Police, and his mother, Mary Frances Mercer, was the daughter of a major-general in the Royal Navy.
Munro was educated at Exmouth and Bedford grammar school; in \(1893\), he joined the Burma police but soon returned to England as he often fell ill. Later, he decided to make a living as a writer.
Munro began his writing career as a journalist for newspapers and magazines. He wrote political satires for the Westminster Gazette and in \(1900\) published "The Rise of the Russian Empire", a serious historical work. His first attempt at a short story was "Dogged", published under his real name in St Paul's in February \(1899\).
Among his most frequently anthologised works are "Tobermory", "The Open Window", "Sredni Vashtar", "Laura", and "The Schartz-Metterklume Method".
His short story collections include:
- Reginald (\(1904\))
- Reginald in Russia (\(1910\))
- The Chronicles of Clovis (\(1912\))
- Beasts and Super-Beasts (\(1914\))
His other works include:
- "The Rise of the Russian Empire", a historical study (\(1900\))
- "The Westminster Alice", a political parody of "Alice in Wonderland" with illustrations by F. Carruthers Gould (\(1902\))
- "The Unbearable Bassington", a short novel (\(1912\))
- "When William Came", subtitled 'A Story of London Under the Hohenzollerns', a fantasy about a future German invasion and occupation of Britain (\(1913\))
- "The Watched Pot", a full-length play in collaboration with Charles Maude (\(1924\))
On \(14\)th November \(1916\), Munro was killed in action in World War I.
Reference:
**Photo from "The War Illustrated" (31 July 1915): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hector_Hugh_Munro.jpg
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