O. Henry (real name William Sydney Porter) – early 20th-century American short story writer, author of The Four Million and Cabbages and Kings. He became famous for his witty tales of ordinary New Yorkers, full of irony and compassion, and for popularising the “twist ending” that still bears his name.
✨ Worked as a pharmacist, bookkeeper, even a cowboy before writing. 📚 Began his literary career while serving time in prison. 🖊 Chose the pen name “O. Henry” to mask his past. 🌆 New York itself became a central character in his stories. 💔 Endured personal tragedies, including the early loss of his wife. 🎭 His stories have been adapted for film and theatre countless times. 📖 Wrote quickly, often sending pieces straight to press without edits. 🗞 Newspapers published his stories weekly – readers awaited them eagerly. 🌍 The famous “O. Henry ending” is now a literary term. 😲 Produced over 600 short stories in under 20 years. 🙂 Joked he wrote about crooks so well because he’d “met enough of them personally.”