Read About O. Henry's Life

1. Look at the page from an early XX century American magazine. What does it display? What kind of stories do you think were published there? 2. Read about one of the most famous American writers. Was your guess correct? In 1901, residents of New York were filled with his hilarious notes and funny eagerly awaiting for the fresh newspapers. drawings. But they were not interested in sensational news. They hurriedly leafed through the Soon William was pages in search of new stories by the writer promoted to editor in one of the O. Henry. The author in a few days became major Houston newspapers. the reader's favourite, but even the all- Full of the most hopeful knowing editors did not know who he was. expectations, he moved with his Nobody knew him in person, he did not family to Houston. But then it allow printing his portraits and did not give suddenly turned out that in the interviews. Newspaper officials claimed bank in Austin, where Porter had worked as that behind such strange behavior there a cashier, a major shortage had been was some mystery, but all efforts to unravel discovered. it ended in failure. Only after the death of the writer, the fans learned the details of 3 __________________. He fled to his biography and the real name, Honduras, but six months later, William 1_________________. received the news that his wife was The future writer was born on 11th seriously ill. Having forgotten about the September in Greensboro, in the State of danger, he rushed to Austin, and North Carolina, into the family of a rural surrendered to the mercy of justice. After doctor. Forced to earn his living early, by Ethal’s death, Porter was arrested and the age of twenty, he had a diploma in sentenced to five years in a penal prison. In pharmacy and lung disease. He went to get the prison, he started writing short stories. treatment to Texas. There he spent two To conceal the fact that he was a prisoner, years on the ranch of his friends, William Porter came up with a new name: 2____________________. He O. Henry, and sent the manuscripts to the recovered and moved to the state capital - editor through friends. Austin, where he fell in love with a In 1901, after having served three charming lady Ethal Estas Roach. In July years, Porter was released for the good 1887, they got married. When the young behavior. "I will deeply bury Bill Porter. No couple had a baby called Margaret, Porter, one will ever find out that I was in jail in with the help of friends, got a job in the Ohio," he said. William Sydney Porter Austin National Bank. But finally disappeared from the face of the the work was tiresome, and earth, and instead of him writer O. Henry William decided to devote appeared. His stories immediately went himself seriously to down with the audience. But the writer, literature. He even created 4_______________________, isolated his own weekly humorous himself from the whole world. In 1905, O. newspaper "Rolling Stone", Henry married Sara Lindsay Coleman. But all pages of which were 1 the marriage was fragile: after a year and a Strays (1917). Among his stories are the half the couple broke up. famous "A Retrieved Reformation" (1903), In the last months, William almost "The Cop and the Anthem" (1904), "The Gift did not go out of the hotel room where he of the Magi" (1905), "The Last Leaf" (1907), was living. He was very ill, ate almost "The Third Ingredient" (1908), "The Ransom nothing, and emaciated beyond of Red Chief" (1910), "Makes the Whole recognition. On July 6, 1910 O. Henry died World Kin" (1911), and many others. in a hospital in New York. He had only 23 Foreign translations cents in his pocket. He was 48 years old. and adaptations for other art forms, Within his lifetime, O. Henry wrote including films and television (all in all there over 400 short stories. His works include a has been over 40 screenings, including the novel “Cabbages and Kings”, story collections famous “O. Henry’s Fool House”, released in The Four Million (1906), Roads of 5 ______________________________), attest his Destiny (1909), Whirligigs (1910), Waifs and universal application and appeal. Trivia • Pen Name Porter gave various explanations for the origin of his pen name. In 1909 he gave an interview to The New York Times, in which he gave an account of it: “It was during these New Orleans days that I 6______________________. I said to a friend: "Help me pick out a good one." He suggested that we get a newspaper and pick a name from the first list of notables that we found in it. We looked down the list and my eye lighted on the name Henry, "That'll do for a last name," said I. "Now for a first name. I want something short. "Why don’t you use a plain initial letter, then?" asked my friend. "Good," said I, "O is about the easiest letter written, and O it is." • Unknown Sides Writer, cartoonist, editor, poet, over the years O. Henry also worked as a pharmacist, ranch hand, shepherd, cook, draftsman, bank teller, and journalist. • Posthumous Fame On November 23rd, 2011, Barack Obama quoted O. Henry while granting pardons to two turkeys named “Liberty” and “Peace”. • Commemoration In 1962, the Soviet Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating O. Henry’s 100th birthday. On September 11th, 2012, the U. S. Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of O. Henry’s birth. • Awards The O. Henry Award is a prestigious annual prize named after Porter and given to outstanding short stories. (Based on materials of Encyclopaedia Britannica) 2 3. Read again. Complete the gaps in the article (1-6) with the phrases: A being afraid of accidental exposure B William was accused of embezzlement C 1952 and featuring Marilyn Monroe D talking with the heroes of his future stories - cowboys and vagabonds E which was William Sidney Porter F adopted my pen name of O. Henry 4. What new facts have you learnt about O. Henry? List some facts from his biography which you think are interesting ones. • __________________________________________________________. • __________________________________________________________. • __________________________________________________________. • __________________________________________________________. • __________________________________________________________. 3 KEY 2 Humorous stories 3 1 E 2 D 3 B 4 A 5 C 6 F 4 .

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