Brief biography of Henry in Russian. O. Henry (real name William Sydney Porter). Active period of creativity

William Sidney Porter, known throughout the world under the pseudonym O. Henry, is a recognized master of the novel and short story. His creative career spanned the first decade of the twentieth century. During this relatively short period of time, he wrote 273 short prose works, comprising 12 collections, as well as a novel in short stories, “Kings and Cabbages.” O. Henry was very self-critical, never boasted of the praise that critics and the public exuded, he dreamed of creating a real novel, but never made his dream come true, leaving this world young and full of creative ideas.

O. Henry's life is reminiscent of his action-packed stories. First, early orphanhood, an indifferent alcoholic father, a strict, domineering grandmother and a dreamy aunt, fanatically in love with literature. Then a rapid change of professions, self-discovery, adventurous projects, charges of theft and a hard labor sentence of three and a half years. After this, dizzying success, literary recognition, high fees and work, work, work until you sweat. And finally, disappointment, depression, alcoholism, bohemian revelry and lonely death in a New York hotel room.

Despite his popularity, O. Henry did not like to give interviews, expose his private life, expose his thoughts and feelings, thereby giving rise to a lot of legends around his person. He even hid his own name under an unusual pseudonym, the origin of which is still debated to this day.

The story of the man who shook up the literary world of the twentieth century began in Greensboro. Then, in 1862, no one could predict dizzying literary fame for the son of an ordinary pharmacist.

Porter family

William Sidney Porter was the second child of Algenon Porter and Mary Jane Swaim. He was born on September 11, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. At first, little Bill (that was the boy’s name in the family circle) had everything - a loving mother, a caring father (a respected city doctor), brothers (the elder Shell and the younger Dave), a spacious, comfortable home. However, the Porters' family happiness soon collapsed. The beginning of the end was September 1865, when my mother died.

Fragile, sickly Mary Jane could hardly bear her third baby. After giving birth, her health deteriorated significantly. Soon she showed clear signs of tuberculosis. Elgenon Porter was a talented self-taught pharmacist, but not a certified doctor. Medicinal drugs and herbs could not save the patient. Mary Jane burned out in a matter of months, leaving three young sons in the care of the young father.

After the death of his wife, Eljenon suffered greatly. He practically abandoned his medical practice, sitting for days on end in his office, where he drowned his grief with rivers of alcohol. The orphaned family moved to the house of their paternal grandmother, Ruth Porter, a woman with a steely character who, after the early death of her husband, managed to put seven children on their feet.

Each of the growing Porters experienced the absence of a full-fledged family in their own way - the eldest Shell became a notorious hooligan, and later a real despot, Bill, on the contrary, grew up very shy and unsociable. His best friends were Schell, a neighbor boy named Tom Tate and, of course, books.

Young Bill Porter did not have to become the heir to a rich library that excites the imagination with the golden spines of books and the aroma of freshly printed paper. Father and grandmother did not read anything, but rich Tom Tate did. It was always possible to get the latest issue of “ten-cent” magazines with colorful covers, behind which were hidden stories about noble bandits, rangers, dangerous Indians and bright, alluring adventures. Along with consumer goods, these publications published Mine Reed, Cooper, Dumas, and excerpts from Hugo and Dickens. Young Bill devoured magazine after magazine, somehow intuitively sorting “bad” literature from “good.” This is how his main passion in life was formed - reading. A passion that would later push Bill Porter to become a writer.

Bill Porter's school years were spent at the private school of his aunt Miss Evelina, or simply Lina. At first, the school had only one common classroom, and it was located in the living room of the Porter house. As the number of students grew, the private institution had to expand and move into a specially built annex. The list of disciplines was determined by the headmistress, who is also Miss Lina’s only teacher. The main passion of the lonely, childless Miss Porter was literature, which is why this subject was given the lion's share of the curriculum.

After school, Bill quickly trained as a pharmacist in order to continue the family business; he worked for some time in his uncle’s pharmacy, but almost immediately lost interest in this craft. Young Porter tries on various professions - from a tortilla seller on a ranch to a bank accountant.

In the 90s, Porter finally found “his” business - he began publishing the humor magazine “The Rolling Stone”. The magazine is published every week and consists mainly of stories, jokes, and illustrations by the editor-in-chief. However, it was not possible to put the publishing business on a grand scale. The magazine was soon closed, and its publisher, still employed by the bank, was accused of stealing a large sum of money from the bank treasury.

Whether William Porter was actually guilty is not known. The investigation, in any case, appealed to unconditional motives - the bankruptcy of the magazine and the serious illness of his wife. For all this, Porter needed a lot of money.

William does not go to prison right away. He wanders around South America for a long time in the company of bandit-robber Ell Jennings. Porter was forced to open up to the investigation by the death of his wife. Already during the funeral, the grief-stricken widower was accompanied by law enforcement officers. This time Bill did not try to escape, he silently surrendered to the investigation and went to hard labor.

Death of William Porter

Porter was sentenced to five years in prison in Columbus, Ohio. William works at the local infirmary and writes stories. The basis for the works of the aspiring writer are the fates of prisoners in the Ohio penal servitude. Porter held public readings and, inspired by the public's positive reaction, sent his creations to American newspapers.

Beal is especially supported by Elle Jennings, with whom they were fugitives from justice together and, as fate would have it, ended up in the same prison. Much later, Jennings would become the writer’s biographer and publish his famous memoir, “Through the Dark with O. Henry.”

More than three years later (the prison term was reduced), William Porter died, and a completely different person was released - a talented writer with the unusual name O. Henry.

The mystery of the writer's pseudonym

The unusual pseudonym of William Sidney Porter still causes controversy among researchers of the writer’s life and work. Some argue that the literary name was completely accidentally read in a newspaper chronicle, and the mysterious initial O. was chosen as the simplest letter of the alphabet. There is an opinion that the writer was inspired by the popular French pharmacist Etienne Ocean Henri (his last name is spelled Henry).

There is an assumption that O. Henry is a shortened name for the prison in which Porter was imprisoned, Ohio Penitentiary (Ohio State Penitentiary). Who or what actually inspired the writer remains a mystery.

O. Henry's literary career is developing rapidly. After the publication of the prison story “Dick the Whistler's Christmas Present” (1899, McClure's Magazine), he was offered to collaborate with the New York newspaper “World”. O. Henry literally works his ass off, producing dozens of stories a year: in 1904 he published sixty-six stories, in 1905 - sixty-four. In total, O. Henry wrote about three hundred short prose works, collected in the collections “Four Million”, “The Burning Lamp”, “The Heart of the West”, “The Noble Rogue”, “The Voice of the Big City”, “Roads of Destiny”, “At Your Choice” ", "Rotation", "Business people", "Sixes and sevens", "Under a lying stone", "Remains" ("A little of everything"). The collections were published between 1906 and 1910. The latter, consisting of sketches, feuilletons, and short humoresques, was published posthumously.

Working under tight deadlines, O. Henry was often forced to sacrifice artistry. Sometimes a work was completed on the desk in the editorial office and immediately went to print without careful editing and polishing. Despite this, O. Henry managed to create real masterpieces. These are “Gifts of the Magi” from the collection “Four Million”, “The Last Leaf” from “The Burning Lamp”, “The Leader of the Redskins”, “The Roads We Choose” from “Rotation”, “Kindred Souls” from “Six-Seven” and other.

O. Henry also has one novel, although it consists of short stories. This is “Kings and Cabbage,” published at the dawn of his literary career in 1904. The novel tells about the “banana republic” of Anchuria, its inhabitants, way of life and guests.

O. Henry was considered a very highly paid writer, but he was constantly short of money. He led a bohemian lifestyle, loved restaurants, partying on a grand scale, and good clothes (O. Henry was known as a fashionista and even came out to the dinner table dressed to the nines). The prose writer has always dreamed of writing a multifaceted long-form novel, but the need for money forces him to take up short stories again and again.

O. Henry is in his fifties. He is in demand, successful, articles are published about him in “Modern Literature”, he is placed on the same level as recognized literary masters (for example, with Maupassant). However, O. Henry is not satisfied; it always seems to him that he has missed something important: “I am a loser. I am constantly haunted by the feeling that I missed something and definitely have to go back... My stories? No, they don't satisfy me. The fact that people call me an 'outstanding writer' makes me sad."

O. Henry drowns out this very melancholy with alcohol. Under the pretext of work, he leaves the seaside house in which he lives with his new wife and seventeen-year-old daughter for weeks, and goes on a spree to New York. He drinks a lot, to the point of unconsciousness, knowing that he is absolutely forbidden to drink. Doctors diagnosed him with diabetes. Even with a strict diet, his age is measured in several years, perhaps ten years. O. Henry does not want to prolong life-torment and teases death in drunken delirium.

In the Christmas short story, he managed to convey the character of true love, which sees no boundaries and does not spare itself for the good of its neighbor.

You will definitely like the novella, because it is one of the few where the reader feels compassion not for the victim of the villains, but for them themselves.

The writer died on June 5, 1910. He died in a cheap New York hotel room, where he lived reclusively for the last week of his life. At that time, O. Henry was only 47 years old, and he was planning a new series of stories about the South.

O. Henry (William Sidney Porter) is an outstanding American writer, a recognized master of the American short story. Born September 11, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The boy lost his mother early and was raised by his paternal aunt. After receiving secondary education, he studied to become a pharmacist. Soon he left for Texas and settled in the city of Austin. There he worked as a cowboy, cashier, bank accountant, salesman, and journalist. In 1887 he married Atol Este.

O. Henry's first literary experiments date back to the early 1880s. Since 1894, he began to independently publish a humorous weekly called “The Rolling Stone,” where he published his poems, drawings and humorous essays. About a year later the magazine closed. At the same time, he was fired from the bank on suspicion of financial fraud. Relatives helped replenish the waste in the bank, but after that he still hid in Honduras. Upon his return, he was sent to prison in Ohio for three years. There he worked in the infirmary and wrote stories. The appearance of the pseudonym O. Henry, the origin of which remains a mystery, also dates back to this period. The first work under this name was published in 1899. The story was "Dick the Whistler's Christmas Present," written in prison for McClure magazine.

In the first decade of the 20th century, he wrote several collections of stories, including “Four Million” (1906), “The Heart of the West” (1907), and “Selected” (1909). He devoted almost his entire life to writing short stories with unexpected endings. The writer's only novel, Kings and Cabbage, appeared in 1904. From his marriage to Athol Este he had one daughter, Margaret, whom he doted on. In recent years, O. Henry suffered from diabetes and serious liver disease. The writer died on June 5, 1910. He was buried in his home state of North Carolina.

About Henry, a short biography of the American writer will reveal unknown facts of his life.

O. Henry short biography

On September 11, 1862, American prose writer O'Henry (William Sidney Porter) was born in Greensboro (North Carolina) into the family of a doctor. William lost his mother at an early age. At the age of 17, he began working in a local pharmacy, graduating as a pharmacist. Three years later he left for Texas, tried different professions - worked on a ranch, served in the land department, as a cashier and bookkeeper at a bank.

The first stories date back to the early 1880s. In 1894, Porter began publishing the humorous weekly Rolling Stone in Austin, filling it almost entirely with his own essays, jokes, poems and drawings. A year later, the magazine closed, and at the same time Porter was fired from the bank and taken to court in connection with the shortfall, although it was reimbursed by his family.

Released on bail William settled in Houston, where he began his professional journalistic and literary career at the Daily Post. Having received a summons to court, he decided to hide, but six months later he returned home due to his wife’s illness, was arrested and sentenced to 5 years in prison on charges of embezzlement. He spent 1898-1901 in the Ohio State Penitentiary, where he worked as a pharmacist at the prison hospital, and during night shifts he wrote stories that were illegally sent to magazines. It was then that the pseudonym arose.

The prison years can be considered the period of formation of O'Henry's literary personality. After his early release, O'Henry moved to New York. Here he established connections with major newspapers and magazines, his first books were published, and he became one of the most popular American authors.

All stages of the writer’s colorful and dramatic fate were reflected in the plots of his short stories. His short stories are characterized by subtle humor and unexpected endings. O. Henry's legacy includes more than 280 stories, sketches, and humoresques. During the author's lifetime, about 10 collections were published, and about the same number after the writer's death.

Late in his life, Porter suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and diabetes. Porter died on June 5, 1910 in New York at the age of 47.

The biography of O. Henry (William Sidney Porter) is incredibly interesting.

The writer was born on September 11, 1862 in the family of a doctor in Ginsboro, North Carolina. He lost his mother early, and his father gave the child to be raised by an aunt who ran a small private school.

At the age of 16, O. Henry began working. First in a pharmacy, then on a ranch in Texas, where the writer was forced to move due to a diagnosis of tuberculosis, then as an accountant, draftsman, cashier and bookkeeper at a bank in the Texas city of Austin.

First literary experiments and prison sentence

The writer's biographers believe that O. Henry began writing around 1880, and in 1894 he began publishing The Rolling Stone magazine in Austin. Almost all the stories and novellas published in the magazine were written by O. Henry.

In 1895, the magazine was closed, and the writer was fired from the bank and accused of embezzling $6,000. Most likely, he was not guilty (most of the funds were returned by the owners of the bank and only 500 by the writer’s family), but he was convicted and imprisoned for three years. He wrote his first story, published in 1899, in prison.

Nickname

In prison, the writer chose a pseudonym for himself. He did not explain the reasons for this choice, having just said that the letter “O” is the simplest letter of the alphabet, and “Henry” is a random name from a gossip column.

The writer's biographers tried to find other versions of the choice of this pseudonym. One of them comes down to the fact that the pseudonym is an abbreviated name for the prison in which the writer served his sentence.

Active period of creativity

O. Henry began actively writing and publishing in 1904. By that time, he had already moved to New York and began collaborating with several publishing houses. In total, he created one novel and 12 collections of stories, which included almost 300 works. Another collection, “Postscript,” was published after the author’s death and included previously unknown humorous stories and feuilletons.

In 1904, O. Henry wrote his only novel, “Kings and Cabbages.” Although some experts believe that it cannot be recognized as a full-fledged novel: it is rather a collection of short stories united by a common setting and common characters.

Personal life

The writer was married 2 times. The first wife died in 1897 from tuberculosis. O. Henry married his second time in 1907 to his longtime fan Sally Coleman. From this marriage the writer had a daughter, Margaret Wars Porter. The marriage was not happy.

If you follow the brief biography of O. Henry, the writer died at the age of 47 (1910) in New York, and was buried in one of the cemeteries in North Carolina.

Other biography options

• A large number of the author’s stories have been filmed, but most often directors have interpreted such a work as “The Leader of the Redskins.” Interestingly, a very young Marilyn Monroe starred in one of the films.
• It is interesting that the writer, hiding from police persecution and trying to clear himself of charges due to the statute of limitations, lived in Honduras for six months.
• In prison, the writer’s already fragile health was undermined, although while serving his sentence, he worked as a prison pharmacist and had much more freedom than other prisoners.
• O. Henry is a true master of words. His story “The Gifts of the Magi” is used by many schoolchildren when writing their final essay on literature in the 11th grade. His works are full of meaning, not without irony, his heroes are real people, with their own merits and demerits.

The first literary experiments date back to the early 1880s. In 1894, Porter began publishing the humorous weekly Rolling Stone in Austin, filling it almost entirely with his own essays, jokes, poems and drawings. A year later, the magazine closed, and at the same time Porter was fired from the bank and taken to court in connection with the shortfall, although it was reimbursed by his family.

After being accused of embezzlement, he hid from law enforcement for six months in Honduras, then in South America. Upon returning to the United States, he was convicted and sent to prison in Columbus, Ohio, where he spent three years (-).

In prison, Porter worked in the infirmary and wrote stories, looking for a pseudonym. In the end, he chose the version of O. Henry (often incorrectly spelled like the Irish surname O'Henry - O'Henry). Its origin is not entirely clear. The writer himself claimed in an interview that the name Henry was taken from the society news column in the newspaper, and the initial O. was chosen as the simplest letter. He told one of the newspapers that O. stands for Olivier (the French name Olivier), and indeed, he published several stories there under the name Olivier Henry. According to other sources, this is the name of the famous French pharmacist Etienne Ocean Henry, whose medical reference book was popular at that time. Another hypothesis was put forward by writer and scientist Guy Davenport: “Oh. Henry" is nothing more than an abbreviation of the name of the prison where the author was imprisoned - Oh io Penit en tia ry. He wrote his first story under this pseudonym, “Dick the Whistler's Christmas Gift,” published in McClure's Magazine, in prison.

O. Henry's only novel - “Kings and Cabbages” (Cabbages and Kings) - was published in . It was followed by collections of short stories: The Four Million, The Trimmed Lamp, Heart of the West, The Voice of the City , ), The Gentle Grafter, Roads of Destiny, Options, Strictly Business, and Whirligigs .

“Her smile could make thistles bloom in December.”

“There is no doubt that sometimes a woman and a man, barely looking at each other, instantly fall in love. A risky thing, this love at first sight, when she had not yet seen his checkbook, and he had not yet seen her in curler curls. Nevertheless, it happens in life."

“You were once my friend, and this prevents me from telling you with all frankness that if I had to choose between your company and the company of an ordinary shaggy, wobbly mongrel, then one of the inhabitants of this shack would now be wagging its tail” (“Reference Book”) Hymen")

“Law, Fate and Time played a nasty trick on him” (October and June)

Screen adaptation

• - Soviet director Lev Kuleshov made the film “The Great Comforter”, which was based on facts from the biography of O. Henry, as well as two of his short stories.
• - based on the stories of O. Henry, the American film “The Leader of the Redskins and Others...” was made with Marilyn Monroe in a small role (the short story “Pharaoh and the Chorale”).
• - Soviet director Leonid Gaidai shot the trilogy “Business People”, which included the short films “The Roads We Choose”, “Kindred Souls”, “The Leader of the Redskins”.