Hector Hugh Munro Blue Plaque

About This Blue Plaque

Hector Hugh Munro, better known by his pen name Saki, was a British short story writer renowned for his witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirizing Edwardian society and culture. Born in Burma in 1870, Munro later moved to England where he would spend much of his life.

As a writer, Saki skewered the pretensions and follies of the English upper and middle classes. His short stories are characterized by brilliant wit, black humor, anti-heroes, and surprise endings. Some of his most famous works include “Tobermory,” “The Open Window,” “Sredni Vashtar,” and “The Unrest-Cure.” Though his literary career was brief, Saki’s unique style influenced authors like P.G. Wodehouse and A.A. Milne.

Munro lived at 97 Mortimer Street in the Borough of Westminster from 1896 to 1902. This location put him in the heart of literary London at the time. Mortimer Street is located in the fashionable Fitzrovia neighborhood, which was a haven for writers and intellectuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sadly, Saki’s life and literary career were cut short when he was killed in action in World War I in 1916, at the age of 45. Despite his untimely death, Saki’s brilliant stories live on, cementing his place as a master of the short story form.