The Robbery in Phillimore Terrace | Emma Orczy | A Bitesized Audiobook
43,731
Published 2023-01-07
Narrated/performed by Simon Stanhope, aka Bitesized Audio. If you enjoy this content and would like to help me keep creating, there are a few ways you can support me:
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Timestamps:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:01 The Story begins
00:39:19 Credits, thanks and further listening
Emma (Emmushka) Orczy (1865–1947) was born Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci, to an aristocratic family in Hungary. Her father was the composer Baron Félix Orczy de Orci, her mother Countess Emma Wass de Szentegyed et Cege, and her grandparents on both sides included senior politicians and royal councillors. The family fled their country estate in in Tarnaörs when Emma was two years old, following a local peasant uprising, and her childhood was spent travelling through Europe, including periods in Budapest, Paris and Brussels, before eventually settling in London when she was 14. Emma's early ambition was to be a painter and she attended art school, where she met her future husband Henry George Montagu MacLean Barstow. They married in 1894 and had one child, John, born in 1899.
It was after John's birth that she took up writing and her first success was a series of detective stories submitted to the Royal Magazine in 1901, featuring the character of the Old Man in the Corner. The old man is an "armchair detective" who sits in the corner of a tea room and – while tying and untying knots in a piece of string – unravels unsolved mysteries which have baffled the police, for the benefit of his regular listener, Miss Polly Burton, a "lady journalist". He is not a conventional detective as he doesn't work with the police, and very often sympathises with the criminals, so that even after he has explained the mystery he doesn't alert the authorities. The stories are also notable for their indirect style of narration: while they are told in the third person, the majority of the words are actually narrated by the Old Man talking to Polly. After his 1901 debut the Old Man went on to feature in regular magazine stories through the early 1900s, and his adventures were collected in book form in three volumes: The Case of Miss Elliot (1905), The Old Man in the Corner (1909, but chronologically the first stories) and Unravelled Knots (1925).
In 1903 Baroness Orczy created her most famous character, for which she is best remembered today: Sir Percy Blakeney, the Scarlet Pimpernel. This character established the idea of a dashing and daring figure who hides behind a meek disguise, so Orczy was in effect the originator of an enduring trope which was later followed by the creators of Superman, Batman and many others. She was very proud of her Pimpernel stories, to the exclusion of most of her other work: her memoirs, published just weeks before her death in 1947, are dominated by the character, whereas she barely mentions the Old Man in the Corner at all.
'The Robbery in Phillimore Terrace' first appeared in the Royal Magazine in June 1901. It later appeared in book form as part of the 1909 collection 'The Old Man in the Corner'.
Recording © Bitesized Audio 2023.
All Comments (21)
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This story is one of a series featuring The Old Man in the Corner, one of several "rivals to Sherlock Holmes" who featured in British periodicals in the 1890s and early 1900s. The story begins at 00:01:01 If you enjoy this, you may like to hear some earlier episodes from the series available on this channel: 1. 'The Fenchurch Street Mystery' (which introduces the characters): https://youtu.be/UvXjoeIa6LY 2. 'The Mysterious Death on the Underground Railway': https://youtu.be/oPH2BJLBzac (this video also includes an introduction and brief biography of the author) You may also enjoy my 'Rivals of Sherlock Holmes' playlist, featuring a number of other less well-known Victorian and Edwardian detectives: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi95qAoufCZL5tiXECltwXU… Thanks for listening!
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When we hit 👍 before the story begins, that's how much we love and appreciate you.
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Ahhh, mug of hot chocolate, huge fluffy fleecey blanket, unicorn slippers on, one cat asleep on my lap, one other cat asleep by the side of me and wood burner alight. Are we sitting comfortably? Then let's begin...... Just what is needed on this very wet and windy night. So happy you're still with us Simon and no more hassle from YouTube. Wishing you and yours a VERY Happy and Healthy New Year. 🐾🐾
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Dearest Simon, how do you manage to find so very many amusing stories for us? I can only imagine this to be a labor of love for you as it is obviously a great deal of effort to produce. And all we have to do is listen and we do! No one can deliver a story quite like you do and I for one am grateful for your talents and lovely voice. Thank you again for another tale told. ❤
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Hi Simon you'll probably be too busy to read this but I want to say these stories you narrate mean an awful lot to me. I love and look forward to them. They got me through covid and episodes of worry and anxiety...they're like a reassuring hug. Thank you. You're a national treasure in my opinion.
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Well i never! Id no idea that the very talented Baroness Emma Orczy had penned the Scarlet Pimpernel Stories! Everyone knows about the Dandy Fop, Sir Percy Blakeney who is infact that Darned Elusive Pimpernel but there are very few, including myself who knew that a female author created these marvellous stories! Plays & films from the early 20thc have been seen by countless audiences yet this wonderful author Baroness Orczy was unknown to me, until you started to feature her. I love The Man in the Corner stories, i can almost visualize him sitting there with his captive audience, Polly. Well seen you learn something new each day! Thank you Simon for your wonderous narrations which always elevate my mood to the Enth degree! Thanking you & regards 🇬🇧👧
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Two in two days!!!! You work too hard. Please know how much we appreciate you. Now to listen, and enjoy. Thank you, Simon.
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Love the “Man in the Corner” stories! And with Simon reading, it’s perfect! Thank you! ❤
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Another hit for 6, both in choice of story and quality of narration. Thank u so much, Simon! 🙏🙏
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Oooo, an unexpected cold January evening treat in front of the (real) fire ! Thank you Mr S. !
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Just the thing for a wet Sunday afternoon! Thank you for reading another gem so nicely.
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Another wonderful story. Most likely told in the comfort of your pajamas and a cup of tea in the drawing room as usual.
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A hot chocolate, dog asleep across my feet & a intriguing tale, perfect end to a long cold day, thoroughly enjoyed the tale & narration , Thank You & belated Happy New Year to you & your family wishing you all the best for the coming year
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Awesome. I love your narration of her stories. ❤
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I am loath to say that I dated a man who had a relative (brother or cousin, perhaps) who so closely resembled him that I fear I was made the butt of the joke on more than one occasion when they switched places. I had taken both of their pictures and one of their friends later saw one of them and told me that was, in fact, a different man! I guess we live and learn.
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I agree. You are the best. I will begin making money contributions
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Bravo! Another super twisty turny detective story for us to enjoy. Thank you, Simon.🎉
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Thank You Simon this is well presented as usual w/ the story humor in place as w/ the others in this series of The Old Man in corner story line⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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I'm not sure what's going on with this fellow and his friend Polly, and I think I must have read a very similar story before to get to the soloution so fast, but I was definitely entertained. Diamond theft! Instant colds! Police baffled by moustaches! Thank you for the unexpected upload, and for the very amusing Belgian accent.
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Good evening Simon, wishing you and your family a very happy and healthy new year. I enjoy your narration, thank you for another wonderful story, best regards.
