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Question: I didn't know who O'Henry was, am I flawed!?
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The world is full of people who have never heard of O Henry, but nevertheless manage to get through life without this knowledge!. Don't let it worry you!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You may not have known him under his pen name which was O'Henry!.
But you may have heard of William Sydney Porter, 1862-1910 which was his real name!.

The most popular short story writer of his era!.Although it is not known for certain whether Porter was an embezzler or merely an incompetent bookkeeper, he was sentenced to five years in the Ohio Penitentiary!.

His jobs as the prison's night druggist and as secretary to the steward allowed him time to write, and he published his first short story from prison under a pen name!. He used several pseudonyms, but upon his early release for good behavior, he chose to write as O!. Henry!.

He moved to New York City, where over the next ten years before his death in 1910, he published over 300 stories and gained worldwide acclaim as America's favorite short story writer!.

Porter died on June 5, 1910 in New York City at the age of forty seven!. An alcoholic, he died virtually penniless!.

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Possibly!. His real name was William Sydney Porter!. And he was one of the great short story writers in American History!.

Education and intellectual curiosity being what it is, most people don't even know the great novelists of history!. For most people, American literature started with Stephen King!.

Short story authors get even worse treatment!. In a sense, TV has replaced the short story the way movies have replaced the novel, but more thoroughly!. When was the last time you heard of a "from the best selling short story" on a preview!.

O!. Henry's specialty was irony!. His stories tended to end in a way that are classic and you see them often inspire modern film and TV!. For example, there is "The Ransom of Red Chief"!. Two men kidnap a young boy, but the kid is such a holy terror that the kidnappers pay the family to take him back!.

But I digress!. Flawed is a relative term!. Compared to most Americans, you are not because most of them have never heard of O Henry and those that have, think its a candy bar (which it is)!. From an absolute sense, you are!. Every school system teaches at least one O Henry story and who he is!. You either forgot or where not paying attention!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

Not flawed, but your education hasn't been as complete as you might have wished!. Check out some of his stories, you're missing out on a great writer!Www@QuestionHome@Com

Silly! It's a candy bar!!Www@QuestionHome@Com