Saki: Hector Hugh Munro Biography and Life Quiz

Hector Hugh Munro was born in ______ in 1870.

Hector's father was an inspector-general in the ______ police.

Hector was raised in ______ by two strict and puritanical maiden aunts.

Munro joined the ______ Burmese Military Police in 1893.

Hector's pen name '______' is probably an allusion to the cup-bearer in the Edward Fitzgerald translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám.

Hector's biographer describes his method as using 'bizarre ______' to define characters.

Hector's mother died following complications from a ______

Hector was raised by two strict and puritanical ______ aunts

Munro became a successful ______ and a popular writer of fiction

Many of his stories satirize ______ attitudes to the class structure

The wit in Saki's stories depends on ______ wording and unexpected turns

The action in Saki's stories is often some kind of ______ joke

Saki's epigrammatic style and witty, amoral young men derive from ______

Saki's fantastical humour owes much to ______

Some of Saki's grimmer stories, like his politics, put him close to ______

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.