O. Henry

William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), pseudonymously famous as O. HENRY, was one of the finest American short story writers. His writings were famously marked by ironic humour and surprise endings. Some of his major works are The Four Million (1906), The Trimmed Lamp (1907), Heart of the West (1907) and Whirligigs (1910). Porter began his writing career with the setting up of The Rolling Stone in 1894, a humorous weekly which did not do well. This was followed by a short stint at The Houston Post as a reporter, columnist and cartoonist. However, Porter was imprisoned for embezzlement of bank funds and served a sentence, eventually getting early release for good behaviour. While in jail, he started writing short stories under the pseudonym O. Henry to support his daughter, and became renowned. O. Henry died on June 5, 1910, aged 47.