O. Henry

Born William Sydney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina, O. Henry worked a wide range of jobs before becoming famous as a writer, including pharmacist, draftsman, bank teller, and journalist. That firsthand experience with ordinary workplaces and ordinary people gave his fiction its easy humor, vivid detail, and sympathy for characters living on the edge of luck.

He published hundreds of short stories, many of them set in New York City, and became especially loved for his clever plotting, playful language, and surprise endings. Stories such as "The Gift of the Magi," "The Cop and the Anthem," and "The Last Leaf" show why his work has remained popular with generations of readers.

Though his life included hardship as well as success, his writing often carries a generous spirit, finding irony, hope, and tenderness in everyday life. The annual O. Henry Prize, created after his death, reflects the lasting influence he had on the short story as an American art form.