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O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) wrote over 600 stories in his short writing career. He is said to have popularized the "twist ending" and is sometimes called the American DeMaupassant.
You may have read or heard about some of his most popular stories, such as The Gift of the Magi, The Green Door, or The Ransom of Red Chief. This blog will help you discover more of his stories, written in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
I found his real life even more fascinating than his stories! The internet allowed me to read letters to, from, and about him, hear his voice in a radio interview, and see a picture of him and his family. I hope you will enjoy learning about this great author with a "beautiful soul" and help me solve some of the mysteries I came across.
Interesting Facts
HIS BIRTH DATE IS... INTERESTING
William Sidney Porter (later spelled Sydney) was born in Greensboro, N.C., on September 11, 1862. Although it has nothing to do with the terrorist attack, his birth date certainly caught my eye... He loved New York and many of his stories are set in this city.
O. Henry at the age of two
O. HENRY'S NEW YORK: DOWNTOWN SKYLINE IN 1910
HE LIVED IN THE SOUTH, IN THE MID-WEST, IN THE NORTH EAST, AND ABROAD
Born in Greensboro, NC, he then moved to a Texas ranch. After being accused of embezzlement by the bank he worked for, he absconded to New Orleans, LA, and then to Honduras. He came back to Austin, TX, to face trial and take care of his wife, Athol, who was terminally ill. He was sentenced to five years in jail at the federal penitentiary in Columbus, OH. Released after three years for good conduct, he joined his daughter Margaret and in-laws in Pittsburgh, PA. He was offered a contract with New York World newspaper, and moved to New York, NY. He lived a short time in Long Island, NY with his second wife, Sara Coleman.
HE STARTED HIS WRITING CAREER WHILE IN JAIL
In jail, Will Porter worked as a pharmacist. He also started writing under the pseudonym of O. Henry. He sent his stories to a friend in New Orleans, who sent them in turn to magazines in New York. Nobody knew these wonderful stories came from a prisoner! Although he went through a tough time - losing his wife to tuberculosis and being sent to jail shortly after - his stories are far from being dark and depressing. In fact, they are light, humorous, surprising, uplifting.
GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY?
Will was working as a teller at the First National Bank of Austin when an examiner came and found discrepancies in his books, although there has been much debate about his actual guilt. The bank was clearly mismanaged, and from what I read, my conclusion is that he just happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Below is a quote from an article I found online, on www.planetpeschel.com :
The patrons used to enter, go behind the counter, take out one hundred or two hundred dollars and say a week later, "Porter, I took out $200 last week. See if I left a memorandum of it. I meant to."
Was he guilty, or not? He was sent to jail not only for embezzlement, but also for absconding instead of facing trial. He had very little to say for his defense, still mourning the loss of his wife Athol, who died a few months before his trial.
What Makes O. Henry's Stories Special
Five reasons you should read O. Henry's short stories:
#1: Surprise ending
O. Henry is the master of twist endings. He will surprise you with either a twist of fate, an unexpected ending, or a character trait revealed in the end that changes everything.
#2: Witty comments, puns, word play
O. Henry loved playing with words, using dialects, and coining new words. In fact, he's the one who coined the term "banana republic," which refers to a small country that is economically dependent on a single export commodity, such as bananas.
#3: Vocabulary
If you want to build your vocabulary power, these stories will help you. O. Henry's vocabulary compared to Shakespeare's. His words are simple, but varied.
#4: Setting
Many of his stories are set in New York City, where he lived during most of his writing career. Many stories are also set in the Mid-West.
#5: Values
Although he went through a lot, with losing his wife to tuberculosis and being wrongly imprisoned, his stories are not dark or depressing. They talk about universal values, such as self sacrifice, true love, and loyalty.
O. Henry's Family
Athol was only seventeen when she eloped and married O. Henry in 1887. Her parents were concerned about her frail health, and doubted O. Henry could provide for her financially. They accepted him in the family after the fact, and were a great support throughout O. Henry's life.
In 1888, she gave birth to a son, who died a few hours after birth.
In 1889, she gave birth to Margaret.
On July 25th, 1897, Athol died after a seven-year battle with tuberculosis.
Athol is said to have been the inspiration for Della, in The Gift of the Magi.
SECOND WIFE: SARA LINDSAY COLEMAN
In 1907, O. Henry married his childhood sweetheart. She was an aspiring writer, and O. Henry helped her get in contact with New York publishers.
They lived together in Long Island for a year, but O. Henry had to be in the midst of NYC action in order to write. He moved back to New York to continue his writing career, while Sara moved to Asheville, N.C., her hometown.
In 1916, Sara wrote a novel called Winds of Destiny, based on the letters she had received from O. Henry.
ONLY CHILD: MARGARET
Margaret Worth Porter was O. Henry's only child. She was born on 9/30/1889, in Austin, Texas.
She was only seven when her mother died of tuberculosis. Less than a year later, her father was sent to jail and she was taken care of by her maternal grandparents. She was told he was travelling for business. She only found out he had been in jail after his death. They eventually moved from Austin, TX to Pittsburgh, PA.
During the three years he was in jail, O. Henry wrote to his daughter frequently, and she wrote back to him.
Margaret was nearly twelve when her father was released from jail and came back to live with them in Pittsburgh, PA, on July 24, 1901.
Less than a year later, O. Henry was offered a contract to write one story per week for the New York World and he moved to NYC.
O. Henry resented the fact that he never had a chance to attend college. He made sure he gave the opportunity to his daughter, by regularly sending money to pay for her college.
Margaret attended Princeton University. She had a short writing career, from 1913 to 1916.
In July, 1916, she married the famous NYC cartoonist, Oscar Cesare. They divorced four years later, and she eventually moved to California and married A. J. Sartin in 1927. She died of tuberculosis three days after her wedding.
Must-Read Stories
The three most popular O. Henry stories
If you never read any of O. Henry's short stories, I recommend you start with the following:The Gift of the Magi
Probably his most popular story - perfect for the Holidays)
The Ransom of Red Chief
A story about a kidnapping gone wrong... I won't tell you more; read it for yourself.
The Green Door
The Green Door is a good example of a typical O. Henry's story: set in New York City, and with a twist ending.
Are you ready for an adventure?
And of course The Last Leaf. A moving story about a dying sister which we are going to analyse.
The Green Door is a good example of a typical O. Henry's story: set in New York City, and with a twist ending.
Are you ready for an adventure?
Hope you enjoyed. Come again next time... My best wishes to all of you. Have a wonderful day and take care of yourself. Thank you so much for coming to my page:)
