Description
Eighty short stories by a master of the genre
O. Henry's comic eye and unique, ironic approach to life's realities are unmatched. These stories—about con men and tricksters and "innocent" deceivers, about fate, luck, and coincidence—have delighted generations of readers. Set in New York and the West, in Central America and the South, they demonstrate O. Henry's mastery of speech and place, and highlight his appreciation of life's quirks.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
About the Author
Such volumes asCabbages and Kings(1904) andThe Four Million(1906) collect short stories, noted for their often surprising endings, of American writer William Sydney Porter, who used the pen name O. Henry.His biography shows where he found inspiration for his characters. His era produced their voices and his language.Mother of three-year-old Porter died from tuberculosis. He left school at fifteen years of age and worked for five years in drugstore of his uncle and then for two years at a Texas sheep ranch.In 1884, he went to Austin, where he worked in a real estate office and a church choir and spent four years as a draftsman in the general land office. His wife and firstborn died, but daughter Margaret survived him.He failed to establish a small humorous weekly and afterward worked in poorly-run bank. When its accounts balanced not, people blamed and fired him.In Houston, he worked for a few years until, ordered to stand trial for embezzlement, he fled to New Orleans and thence Honduras.Two years later, he returned on account of illness of his wife. Apprehended, Porter served a few months more than three years in a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. During his incarceration, he composed ten short stories, includingA Blackjack Bargainer,The Enchanted Kiss, andThe Duplicity of Hargraves.In 1899,McClure'spublishedWhistling Dick's Christmas StoryandGeorgia's Ruling.In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he sent manuscripts to New York editors. In the spring of 1902,Ainslee's Magazineoffered him a regular income if he moved to New York.In less than eight years, he became a bestselling author of collections of short stories.Cabbages and Kingscame first in 1904The Four Million, andThe Trimmed LampandHeart of the Westfollowed in 1907, andThe Voice of the Cityin 1908,Roads of DestinyandOptionsin 1909,Strictly BusinessandWhirligigsin 1910 followed.Posthumously published collections includeThe Gentle Grafterabout the swindler, Jeff Peters;Rolling Stones,Waifs and Strays, and in 1936, unsigned stories, followed.People rewarded other persons financially more.A Retrieved Reformationabout the safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine got $250; six years later, $500 for dramatic rights, which gave over $100,000 royalties for playwright Paul Armstrong. Many stories have been made into films.
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