Henry lived at 55 Irving Place, in close proximity to Gramercy Park and right across from Pete’s Tavern, where he spent a lot of time drinking and writing. Since his most prolific period of writing took place in the last 9 years of his life, when he lived in New York and wrote 381 stories, many of them are connected to the actual locations in the city.Īt some point, O. His stories are known for their humanity and characteristically surprising twist at the end.

Henry is now recognized as one of the best American writers and one of the most notable short story writers in the world. The New York World hired him to write one story a week, which he did for over a year. Henry moved to New York City to be close to his publishers. Henry”.Īfter his release in 1902, the newly minted writer by the name of O. The next three years of his life were spent in prison, where he started writing under various pseudonyms including “O. When he returned on his own volition to see his dying wife, he had to face justice. Having been accused of embezzlement in the bank where he was employed, he fled to Honduras to avoid going to prison. She remained the love of his life and most likely was the prototype of Della, the lovely heroine of “The Gift of the Magi” story.Īnd later his story took a turn worthy of an adventure novel. Although her parents didn’t approve, the young couple eloped and got married. Then he fell in love with a beautiful young lady.

Hill City Quartet was known for serenading young women on the streets of Austin, performing at local weddings, church festivals, and picnics.

The best short stories of o henry