O.Henry

WRITER HERO: O. HENRY by Michail from Smorgon


My hero is O. Henry. Why? There are several reasons, which I will explain in my essay. O. Henry was born on the 11th of September in 1862. His real name is William Sidney Porter. He spent his childhood in the small town of Greensboro. His father was a doctor. He was a clever and kind man. Sometime later, he gave up medicine to become a mechanic. William and his brother grew up with their aunt (his mother died when William was three). When school was over, William took up his uncle’s offer and worked as a helper in a drugstore.
In 1887 William married. His wife’s name was Atoll. Their first child, a boy, died soon after birth. His daughter, Margaret, was born in 1889. After giving birth, Atoll was ill for a long time. She died and left William with a small daughter. Atoll’s parents helped him to raise his daughter. Hardly able to make both ends meet, William always tried to please his daughter. In his self-sacrifice I can feel the writer’s heroism.
In 1907 William married for the second time. His second wife and his daughter, Margaret, were friends. Everything seemed to be alright, but the writer was not in good health. He could no longer work with the same drive. In the summer of 1910 he died.
I admire O. Henry’s literary work. His creativity lasted for eight years and, in that short time, he wrote nearly 400 stories and a novel. O. Henry’s skill is very unusual. Every one of O. Henry’s stories contains some enigmas and you can never figure them out. The writer always surprises me with his perfectly unexpected endings. When I read O. Henry’s stories, my mood improves because every story is full of humor. O. Henry’s humor is noble because, at the root of the writer’s humor, there is a belief in man, love for mankind, and hatred toward everything that destroys life and people. O. Henry’s creativity is very important because his stories teach us goodness and humility, and compel us to think about life and make us better people.
Written by Michail from Smorgon
This story has been submitted by a guest user and does not necessarily represent the views of The My Hero Project or its staff.


Selected works:
CABBAGES AND KINGS, 1904
THE FOUR MILLION, 1906
THE TRIMMED LAMP, 1907
HEART OF THE WEST, 1907
THE VOICE OF THE CITY, 1908
THE GENTLE GRAFTER, 1908
ROADS OF DESTINY, 1909
LO, 1909 (play, with Franklin P. Adams, music by A. Baldwin Sloane)
OPTIONS, 1909
STRICTLY BUSINESS, 1910
WHIRLIGIGS, 1910
LET ME FEEL YOUR PULSE, 1910
THE TWO WOMEN, 1910
SIXES AND SEVENS, 1911
ROLLING STONES, 1912
WAIFS AND STRAYS, 1917
THE COMPLETE WRITING OF O. HENRY, 1918 (14 vols.)
O. HENRYANA, 1920
SELECTED STORIES, 1922 (ed. by Alphonse Smith)
LETTERS TO LITHOPOLIS, FROM O.HENRY TO MABEL WAGNALLS, 1922
POSTSCRIPTS, 1923
THE BEST OF O. HENRY, 1929
MORE OF O. HENRY, 1933
O. HENRY ENCORE, 1936
O. HENRY'S NEW YORK, 1940
THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF O. HENRY, 1945 (ed. by Bennett Cerf and Van H. Cartmell)
THE POCKET BOOK OF O. HENRY, 1948 (ed. by Harry Hansen)
COPS AND ROBBERS, 1948 (ed. by Ellery Queen
COMPLETE WORKS OF O HENRY, 1953 (2 vols.)
O. HENRY WESTERNS, 1961 (ed. by Patrick Thornhill)
THE STORIES OF O. HENRY, 1965 (ed.by Harry Hansen)
FOUR MILLION & OTHER STORIES, 1976
COLLECTED STORIES OF O. HENRY, 1986
THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF O. HENRY, 1994