O. Henry

1
O. Henry

• an author to know

2
When did he live?

• 1862-1910

3
Where did he live?

• born in North Carolina
• moved to Texas
• spent time in jail in Ohio for embezzlement
• Left prison and moved to New York

4
Parents

• Father was a physician
• At age three his dad died
• he was raised by his Grandmother and Aunt
• his birth name was William Sydney Porter

5
Life

• At the age of 15 he dropped out of school
• He had many different jobs in Texas
• 1897 - convicted of embezzling
• debate over whether he was actually guilty or not
• spent 3 years in prison
• 1901 - left prison changed his name to O.Henry

6
Writing career

• started writing short stories while in prison
• first work Whistling Dicks Christmas Stocking
  (1899) appeared in McClures Magazine

7
Writing Career

• 1902 moved to New York and wrote a story a week
  for the New York World
• Published 10 collections and over 600 short
  stories during his lifetime
• 3 more collections were published after his death

8
Works

• Well-Known Collections
• Cabbages and Kings (1904)
• The Four Million (1906)
• Important Short Stories
• Gift of the Magi (1905)
• The Ransom of Red Chief (1910)

9
Final Years Death

• alcoholism, ill-health, financial problems
• unhappy marriage that only lasted one year
• died on June 5, 1910 from liver disease caused by
  drinking too much