Monday, October 18, 2010

O. Henry Short Stories, Bio, Quotes, and a Helpful Link

This morning I came across this link to an index of literary magazines that the editors look at for the Pen/O. Henry award.

William Sidney Porter (writing under the pen name O. Henry) wrote more than 300 short stories in his rather interesting life, which included time in prison for a crime he claimed he did not commit. He died 100 years ago this past June. If you get a chance, read his bio.

Here's a list of quotes attributed to him. There's a lot of wisdom in this one: "Write what you like; there is no other rule."

I still remember the short stories written by O. Henry that I read in high school English class. My favorite is "The Gift of the Magi." I also like "The Last Leaf" and "The Ransom of Red Chief."

How about you? Do you have a favorite O. Henry short story?

3 comments:

  1. I love "Ransom of Red Chief," probably because it's so child-oriented. I also love the one (I don't recall the title) of the woman dying, and she was holding on until the last ivy leaf fell off the vine outside her window, and then she knew she would die. (An artist painted a leaf there, the woman recovered, and all was well.)

    ReplyDelete

Mysteries of the Ozarks, Volume V - Interviews with Lonnie Whitaker and Dr. Barri Bumgarner

Here is the second installment of interviews with contributors who have stories in Mysteries of the Ozarks, Volume V , from Ozark Writers, I...