As a young man, he moved to Austin, Texas where he worked as a bank teller. He moved again to Houston, Texas in 1895 and became a newspaper columnist.
In 1896, however, he was called back to Austin, where he was charged with embezzling money from the bank where he had worked. Not wanting to go to prison for his crime, O. Henry fled to Honduras, and stayed there for six months before returning to the United States.
Upon his return, the court tried him and put him in an Ohio prison for three years. While in prison, he began writing short stories and it is there that he took the pen-name O. Henry for his writings.
After his release from prison in 1901, he moved to New York, which is the setting for many of his stories. He is the author of over 250 stories and is most famous for his use of surprise or 'twist' endings. Notice the twists and surprises in the endings to "The Last Leaf", "The Green Door", and perhaps his most famous story, "The Gift of the Magi".
Plot of the Last Leaf by O Henry
Analysis of O Henry's Short Stories
Theme of the Last Leaf by O Henry
O'henry Short Story Books
List of O Henry's Short Stories
Mark Twain Biography
Mark Twain Quotes
History of William Shakespeare
O Henry Criticism
O Henry's Writing Style
O Henry Facts
O Henry the Last Leaf Review
O Henry's Childhood
Mark Twain Works
Mark Twain Books
Mark Twain Real Name
A: O Henry - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss. http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/ O Henry. Biography of O Henry and a searchable collection of works. Read More »
A: Biography of O.Henry http://users.aber.ac.uk/jpm/ellsa/ellsa_ohenrybio.html O. Henry (1862-1910) was originally born William Sydney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina. As a young man, he moved to Austin, Texas where he worked ... Read More »
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