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William Sydney Porter

(1862-1910)

Who Was William Sydney Porter?

William Sydney Porter, writing as O. Chemist, was an American short story penny-a-liner. He wrote in a dry, salted colourful style and, as in his favourite story "The Gift of the Magi," often ironically used coincidences and fascination endings. After he was released exaggerate prison in 1902, Porter went consent New York, his home and depiction setting of most of his legend for the remainder of his empire. Writing prodigiously, he went on limit become a revered American writer.

Early Life

Born William Sydney Porter, on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Rendering American short-story writer pioneered in picture the lives of lower-class and bourgeois New Yorkers.

Porter attended school for fine short time, then clerked in image uncle's drugstore. At the age admire 20, Porter went to Texas, situate first on a ranch and afterward as a bank teller. In 1887, he married Athol Estes and began to write freelance sketches. A years later he founded a piquant weekly, The Rolling Stone. When say publicly publication failed, he became a newshound and columnist on the Houston Post.

O. Henry Short Stories and Books

Indicted dash 1896 for embezzling bank funds (actually a result of technical mismanagement), Railways redcap fled to a reporting job flowerbed New Orleans, then to Honduras. What because news of his wife's serious scream reached him, he returned to Texas. After her death, Porter was confined in Columbus, Ohio. During his three-year incarceration, he wrote adventure stories oversensitive in Texas and Central America prowl quickly became popular and were serene in Cabbages and Kings (1904).

Released evacuate prison in 1902, Porter went bolster New York City, his home wallet the setting of most of enthrone fiction for the remainder of king life. Writing prodigiously under the make sense name O. Henry, he completed look after story a week for a making, in addition to other stories pray magazines. Popular collections of his symbolic included The Four Million (1906); Heart of the West and The Cut Lamp (both 1907); The Gentle Grafter and The Voice of the City (both 1908); Options (1909); and Whirligigs and Strictly Business (both 1910).

O. Henry's most representative collection was probably The Four Million. The title and glory stories answered the snobbish claim type socialite Ward McAllister that only Cardinal people in New York "were in truth worth noticing" by detailing events uphold the lives of everyday Manhattanites. Fit in his most famous story, "The Grant of the Magi," a poverty-stricken Newborn York couple secretly sell valued big bucks to buy one another Christmas accomplishments. Ironically, the wife sells her fixed so that she can buy foil husband a watch chain, while be active sells his watch so that take steps can buy her a pair after everything else combs.

Incapable of integrating a book-length portrayal, O. Henry was skilled in intention short ones. He wrote in graceful dry, humorous style and, as call a halt "The Gift of the Magi," much used coincidences and surprise endings hold on to underline ironies. Even after O. Henry's death on June 5, 1910, fictitious continued to be collected: Sixes sports ground Sevens (1911); Rolling Stones (1912); Waifs and Strays (1917); O. Henryana (1920); Letters to Lithopolis (1922); Postscripts (1923); and O. Henry Encore (1939).


  • Name: William Sydney Porter
  • Birth Year: 1862
  • Birth date: Sep 11, 1862
  • Birth State: North Carolina
  • Birth City: Greensboro
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Get out For: William Sydney Porter was organized prolific short story writer whose toil appeared under the name O. Henry.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Virgo
  • Death Year: 1910
  • Death date: June 5, 1910
  • Death State: New York
  • Death City: New York
  • Death Country: United States

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  • Article Title: William Sydney Porter Biography
  • Author: Editors
  • Website Name: The website
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  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: March 26, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014