Simon Dale

Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins, better known as Anthony Hope, (1863-1933) was a British novelist and playwright best remembered today for his short novel The Prisoner of Zenda (1894), a prequel The Heart of Princess Osra (a collection of short stories) (1896), and a sequel Rupert of Hentzau (1898). These works were all set in the contemporaneous fictional kingdom of Ruritania. His first novel was A Man of Mark (1890), and one of his most well-known works during his lifetime was The Dolly Dialogues (1894), published in the Westminster Gazette. He started writing full time after Zenda's success, completing many other novels and plays, including English Nell (based on the life of actress Nell Gwyn), and Sophy of Kravonia (1906), in a similar vein as the Zenda story. He was knighted in recognition of his contribution to British propaganda efforts during World War I. He also published an autobiographical book, Memories and Notes, in 1927. His other works include: Father Stafford (1891), Half a Hero (1893), The Indiscretion of the Duchess (1894), Frivolous Cupid (1895), The King's Mirror (1899), and Quisant (1900).