15 Questions
Hector Hugh Munro was born in ______ in 1870.
Burma
Hector's father was an inspector-general in the ______ police.
Burma
Hector was raised in ______ by two strict and puritanical maiden aunts.
Devon
Munro joined the ______ Burmese Military Police in 1893.
Colonial
Hector's pen name '______' is probably an allusion to the cup-bearer in the Edward Fitzgerald translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám.
Saki
Hector's biographer describes his method as using 'bizarre ______' to define characters.
name
Hector's mother died following complications from a ______
miscarriage
Hector was raised by two strict and puritanical ______ aunts
maiden
Munro became a successful ______ and a popular writer of fiction
journalist
Many of his stories satirize ______ attitudes to the class structure
Edwardian
The wit in Saki's stories depends on ______ wording and unexpected turns
perfect
The action in Saki's stories is often some kind of ______ joke
practical
Saki's epigrammatic style and witty, amoral young men derive from ______
Oscar Wilde
Saki's fantastical humour owes much to ______
Lewis Carroll
Some of Saki's grimmer stories, like his politics, put him close to ______
Kipling
Study Notes
Early Life
- Hector Hugh Munro, aka Saki, was born in Burma in 1870.
- His father was an inspector-general in the Burma police.
- His mother died when he was two years old due to complications from a miscarriage.
- He and his siblings were raised in Devon by two strict and puritanical maiden aunts.
Career
- In 1893, Munro joined the Colonial Burmese Military Police, just like Eric Blair (George Orwell) later did.
- He returned to England a year later due to malaria.
- He became a successful journalist and, by 1909, a popular writer of fiction.
Writing Style
- Many of his stories satirize Edwardian attitudes to the class structure, targeting the nobility, new rich, and working classes.
- His pen name "Saki" is likely an allusion to the cup-bearer in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám.
- His method involves defining characters with bizarre names and deft phrases, using perfect wording and unexpected turns.
- His stories often feature practical jokes aimed at deflating pretension or exposing cowardice.
Influences
- His epigrammatic style and witty, amoral young men (like Clovis Sangrail) are reminiscent of Oscar Wilde.
- His fantastical humor is influenced by Lewis Carroll.
- Some of his grimmer stories and politics are similar to those of Kipling.
Learn about the life of Hector Hugh Munro, better known as Saki, a British writer and playwright. This quiz covers his early life, family, and career.
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