O henry power point
- 1. O. Henry Pen Name of William Sydney Porter Born September 11, 1862 Died June 5, 1910
- 2. “Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.” O. Henry
- 3. 1862-1877 • Born in Greensboro, North Carolina • Began reading at a young age – Loved dime novels in particular – Favorite childhood book was Arabian Nights • Quit school at age 15 to become a pharmacist
- 4. 1877-1882 • At age 19, became a fully licensed pharmacist and worked in his uncle’s drug store. • He had quite a reputation for being a prankster. • He was troubled with an ongoing cough which worried him because both his grandmother and mother had died of tuberculosis. A serious disease primarily affecting the lungs.
- 5. 1882-1887 • With his intense fear of tuberculosis, he moved to Texas, a state known for its hot, dry climate. • Here, he took a job as a cowboy- an unusual cowboy since he was known to walk around the ranch with a pocket dictionary and a book of poems. • In 1887 he married Athol Estes and became a bank teller.
- 6. 1887-1901 • 1894- He started a humorous weekly newspaper named The Rolling Stone which went under after only a year. • 1896- arrested for stealing funds from the bank where he worked. • He then fled to Honduras which is where he was when his wife, only 29, died of tuberculosis. • 1898- his first short story was published (“Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking”) • 1898-1901- served 3 years of a 5 year sentence in prison. • 1901- released early and changed his name to O. Henry as a way to leave his shameful past behind. (This theme of change resurfaces in many of his later short stories.)
- 7. 1902-1910 • 1902- moved to New York City, the setting for most of his stories. • 1904- published his first collection of stories: Cabbages and Kings • 1906- published his second collection of stories which made him famous, The Four Million. • 1907- remarried to a woman named Sara Lindsay Coleman whom he had known when he was a young boy. • The marriage was very unhappy and they were extremely poor despite his beginning success as a writer. • 1910- died of cirrhosis of the liver.
- 8. Pseudonym • No one knows for sure how he chose his pen name. Theories: • The European chemist O. Henry, as seen in pharmacy magazines. • African-American ranch hand, an excellent storyteller, named Old Henry. • Cowboy song with the line, “Oh Henry, what sentence have you got?” • Customer at bank named Henry who was frequently called back to the counter with “Oh, Henry!” • Wharf master in Honduras whom others called “Oh Hennery.” • Captain of prison guard whose name was O. Henry in the account books.
- 9. A Few InterestIng FActs… • O. Henry wrote about 300 short stories, most of them in the last 10 years of his life. • He had only 23¢ in his pocket when he died. • His funeral was mistakenly scheduled for the same time as a wedding ceremony. • One of America’s most prestigious literary prizes, the O. Henry Award, was established in his honor. It honors short stories of exceptional merit.
- 10. Bibliography "Author Study: O. Henry." The Language of Literature. Evanston: McDougall Littell, 2003. 150-153.