O. Henry - (1862-1910)

New York City

By Daniel Golden

Read other essays on O. Henry by New York students Ally Feldman and Veronika Fernandez or North Carolina students Chris L. and Justin L. and Bobby Helbert.

I. Biography

Born William Sydney (also spelled Sidney) Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1862, he grew up to become one of the most loved and prolific short story writers of his time.  Plagued by illness as a child, he moved to Texas in 1882, on the assumption that the open spaces and fresh air would help him.  There he was employed at various pursuits, including teller in an Austin bank and as a reporter for the Houston Post.  O. Henry also wrote and published his own weekly humor newspaper, called The Rolling Stone. 

While employed at the Post, he was charged with embezzlement from his former bank job.  He promptly fled to Honduras, leaving his wife behind.  However, when his wife became seriously ill he returned and stood trial after her death.  He was convicted, and spent three years in prison.  It was there that he started writing.  After his release, he moved to New York City where he spent the rest of his days.  He took the pseudonym O. Henry to hide his past and became a prolific short story writer, writing approximately 300 stories. 

II. Regional Influences

O. Henry wrote in New York City, about New York City and his experiences in Honduras.

III. Literary Works

After Twenty Years & Other Stories. Edited by Masat C. Nakauchi. Tokyo: Kenkyusha, 1957.

The Best of O. Henry. London: Hodder & Stroughton, 1929.
The Best of O. Henry. Philadelphia: Running Press, 1978.
The Best Short Stories of O. Henry. Garden City, N.Y.: Sun Dial Press, 1945.
Cabbages and Kings. New York: McClure, Phillips & Co., 1904.
The Complete Works of O. Henry. Garden City, N.Y.: Garden City Publishing Co., 1911.
Complete Writings of O. Henry. Garden City, N.Y.: Garden City Publishing Co., 1917.
The Four Million. New York: McClure, Phillips & Co., 1906.
The Gentle Grafter. New York: McClure, 1908.
The Gift of the Magi. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1922.
The Gift of the Wise Men. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1911.
Heart of the West. New York: McClure, 1907.
Let Me Feel Your Pulse. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1910.
Letters to Lithopolis. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1922.
O. Henry Encore. Ed. by Mary S. Harrell. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1939.
O. Henryana. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1920.
O. Henry's New York. Ed. by J. Donald Adams. Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett, 1962.
Options. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1909.
Postscripts. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1923.

The Ransom of Red Chief, and Other O. Henry Stories for Boys. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1918.

Roads of Destiny. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1909.
Rolling Stones. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1912.
Selected Stories from O. Henry. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1922.
Sixes and Sevens. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1911.
Strictly Business. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1910.
Tales of O. Henry. Garden City, N.Y.: International Collectors Library, 1969.
The Trimmed Lamp, and Other Stories. New York: McClure, Phillips & Co., 1907.
The Voice of the City. New York: McClure, 1908.
Waifs and Strays, Twelve Stories. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1917.
Whirligigs. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1910.
The Works of O. Henry. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1911.

O. Henry also wrote periodically (no pun intended) for American, Century, Cosmopolitan, Critic, Everybody's, Golden Book, Hampton, Independent, McClure's, and Redbook.

IV. Links

O. Henry short story award winners:
http://www.randomhouse.com/boldtype/ohenry/0999/winnerslist.html

Article in Smithsonian Magazine
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues97/jan97/ohenry.html

O. Henry Museum
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/ohenry.htm

O. Henry in Honduras
http://www.bayislands.com/cocotel/feature.htm

Ransom of Red Chief
http://english-server.hss.cmu.edu/fiction/the-ransom-of-red-chief.html

V. Bibliography

North Carolina Writers.  "William Sydney Porter."  Online.
http://www.ncwriters.org/wporter.htm  31 May 2000.

The Columbia Encyclopedia. "O. Henry."  Online.
http://www.bartleby.com/65/oh/OHenry.html  31 May 2000.

The Lone Star Junction. "William S. Porter."  Online.
http://www.lsjunction.com/people/porter.htm  31 May 2000.

This essay was submitted by a student of Marylin Dykens, a teacher at Rome Free Academy in Rome, New York.