The Heart of Princess Osra

What It's About

This is a collection of linked short stories set in the fictional kingdom of Ruritania in the 1730s, generations before the events of Hope's better-known Ruritanian tale. It follows Princess Osra of the House of Elphberg, younger sister of King Rudolf III, and the string of suitors — noblemen, commoners, and foreign visitors alike — who fall in love with her or scheme to win her hand. Told in the manner of court legend and folk tale, the stories move between comedy, romance, and melodrama as Osra's own heart is finally won.

Key Concepts

The stories play with the tension between royal duty and personal desire, and the demands placed on a princess whose marriage is a matter of state rather than simply of the heart. Running through the linked tales are themes of honour, sacrifice, and the often steep price paid by those who love above their station — handled with a knowing, sometimes wry authorial voice rather than straightforward sentimentality.

About the Author

Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins (1863–1933), who wrote under the name Anthony Hope, was an English novelist and playwright born in London. He was educated at Marlborough and Balliol College, Oxford, and trained and practised as a barrister before turning to writing full-time. He was knighted in 1918.