1. a.k.a. William Sidney Porter
O. Henry
a.k.a.
William Sidney Porter

3. O. Henry Born in North Carolina on Sept. 11, 1862
When he was three, his mother died and he went to live with an aunt in Greensboro
“Job-Jumped” a lot
Worked with his uncle in a pharmacy
Learned how to be a pharmacist
Moved to Austin, Texas
Married and had one daughter

4. O. Henry Became an alcoholic Was erratic in his work ethic
Sent to prison for embezzlement from one of his former employers – a bank
Sailed away to Honduras in South America to try to escape prison
Eventually went back to Austin to take care of his wife who died shortly after his return

5. O. Henry Put in prison in Ohio Began writing while in prison
Took on the name O. Henry after he got out of prison, probably to try to hide from his past
Wrote over 100 short stories over two years ( )

6. O.Henry
It is said that he used the name because he used to call his uncle’s cat for feeding, “Oh, Henry!”
Others say he took the name of a prison guard, Orrin Henry
Some say it was the name of a pharmacist he had worked with
And some say that he found the name in a book

7. O. Henry
Was married a second time to Sara Coleman from Asheville, N.C.
Had one daughter from his first marriage, Margaret Worth born in 1889
The Society of Arts and Letters founded the O. Henry Memorial Award to be awarded annually to the best American short story.

8. O. Henry
Wrote most short stories based on events while he was in Texas and then in New York
Became known as “The Father of the Short Story”
Died penniless in New York in 1910
Was buried in Asheville, N.C.

9. O.Henry Widely well-known for his use of irony in his short stories
Irony is a difference between what you expect and reality
It can create powerful effects ranging from humor to strong emotion
There is verbal irony, situational irony, and dramatic irony

10. The Gift of the Magi

11. What is a magi? Named in the Bible as the Three Wise Men bearing gifts
Written about and named by Marco Polo during his travels in the Middle East
The word is taken from what eventually became the English word “magician”