O. Henry American prose writer Date of Birth: 11.09.1862 Country: USA

Biography of O. Henry

O. Henry, born William Porter, was an American writer and novelist. He was born into a difficult and unhappy life. At the age of three, he lost his mother, and his father, a struggling provincial doctor, became an alcoholic. Dropping out of school at 15, Porter started working behind the counter of a pharmacy, which had a negative impact on his already poor health. After four years, he moved to a ranch in Texas to improve his health, but unlike his fictional character, he did not become a cowboy. He was a quiet and educated city dweller who earned the respect of rough and illiterate men, as they trusted him with their deepest secrets. He was the same way at work, whether in a tobacco shop, land office, or as a cashier at the First National Bank in the small town of Austin, Texas. However, his banking career did not end well. Porter was accused of embezzling $1,150, a significant amount of money at the time. Biographers still debate whether he was truly guilty. On one hand, he needed the money for his sick wife's treatment and to publish "Rolling Stone." On the other hand, Porter resigned from the bank in December 1894, while the embezzlement was not discovered until 1895, and the bank's owners were clearly corrupt. Nevertheless, criminal charges were filed against Porter, and in a panic, he fled to New Orleans and then to Honduras in February 1896. It was in Honduras that Porter's fate crossed paths with a professional bandit named Al Jennings, who later wrote a memoir recalling their Latin American adventures. They were involved in a local coup in Honduras and then fled to Mexico, where Jennings saved the future writer from certain death. In Mexico, Porter received a telegram about his wife's desperate condition. In his absence, she had sold a lace shawl for $25 and sent him a gift—a gold chain for his watch. Unfortunately, at that very moment, Porter had sold his watch to buy a train ticket to the border. He managed to see and say goodbye to his wife, who passed away a few days later. Porter, who was working as a cashier and embezzler, was arrested immediately after the funeral. He remained imprisoned for three years and three months. Released early for good behavior and excellent work in the prison pharmacy, Porter was freed in the summer of 1901. He never mentioned his prison years. Memories from Al Jennings, who ironically found himself alongside the writer in the Columbus Penitentiary in Ohio, helped shed light on that period. Porter shared a cell with Jennings and a 20-year-old safe cracker named Dick Price. Price had performed a heroic act by saving a little girl from a locked safe, but he was promised a pardon that never came. Porter used this story as the basis for his first published story about a safecracker named Jimmy Valentine. Before submitting the story to a newspaper, Porter read it to his fellow inmates. The story captivated their attention, and even the hardened criminal Rayder shed a tear. The story was eventually published under the pseudonym O. Henry. After his release from prison, O. Henry signed a contract with the New York newspaper "World" to submit a weekly short story for $100 each. This was a significant amount of money for the time. He eventually increased his output and wrote over 270 short stories, making him one of the most popular American writers of his time. However, the fast pace of his work took a toll on his health. O. Henry often had to rely on friends and acquaintances for story ideas, as he struggled to come up with new plots. Despite his success, he lived a modest life and avoided literary circles, preferring solitude and wandering the streets of New York for inspiration. Unfortunately, his health deteriorated, and he passed away in a poor hotel room in New York City at the age of 48. His funeral was interrupted by a joyful wedding party who mistakenly entered the church and had to wait for the service to conclude.