O. Henry

Biography

O. Henry (1862–1910), pen name of William Sydney Porter, was an American short story writer whose tales of everyday life in New York City, the American South, and Latin America made him one of the most popular and widely read authors of his era. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Porter worked variously as a pharmacist, draftsman, bank teller, and journalist before being convicted of embezzlement from an Austin, Texas, bank in 1898—a charge he may not have been guilty of. While serving three years in an Ohio federal prison, he began writing short stories under the pen name O. Henry. After his release he moved to New York City, where he became astonishingly prolific, publishing a story a week for the New York World and producing over 380 short stories in total. His stories are famous for their wit, warm sympathy for ordinary people, vivid depictions of New York life, and above all their surprise endings—the "twist ending" is so associated with O. Henry that it bears his name. Classic stories include "The Gift of the Magi," "The Ransom of Red Chief," "The Cop and the Anthem," and "The Last Leaf." The O. Henry Award for short fiction, established in 1919, remains one of America’s most prestigious literary prizes.