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O. Henry: Master of surprises – #BlogchatterA2Z

O HenryMany times, you are so engrossed in the story that you are almost living with the characters from the story. However, as you reach the climax storyteller pulls out the smartest trick of revealing something shocking which will twist the entire story. Today’s storyteller is a master of such surprises, O. Henry. This American storyteller was born on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina with the name of William Sidney Porter. While writing the stories and sending it to editors, he used a number of pen names including S.H. Peters, Oliver Henry / O. Henry, James L. Bliss, T.B. Dowd, and Howard Clark. It was O. Henry which rang the bell with almost everyone and it stuck with him like forever.

William_Sydney_Porter_by_doubleday
Portrait of O. Henry, by W. M. Vanderweyde, 1909

There are two conflicting points of views about reading habits of writers. Some say it’s very helpful to read other authors while others put their foot on the opposite line. But just like I mentioned Neil Gaiman’s reading habits of his childhood, O. Henry also grew up reading all the time. He read almost everything which he could get his hands on from classics to dime novels but Lane’s translation of One Thousand and One Nights and Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy were his favorites. O. Henry wrote the stories which are playful and have a witty narration. His stories often end with surprising plot twists. This writing style gave him the reputation of American answer to Guy de Maupassant.

 

51XI0MrItXLThe book I am taking in my TBR is titled with one of his famous story, The Voice of The City. This collection was first published in 1908 and contains 25 stories. There are hundreds of imprints and editions of this book out there on Amazon and other platforms but a good thing, this classic is available for free on Kindle as a public domain book converted in digital format from the physical edition by a community of volunteers. So, guys, what are we waiting for to read this amazing master of surprise? Click the following link and get your Kindle copy.

 


Amazon Kindle

 

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 261.0 KB
Print Length: 174 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1522704760
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Private Limited
Language: English


Adding this to the amazing bucket of blogs at #BlogchatterA2Z.

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3 thoughts on “O. Henry: Master of surprises – #BlogchatterA2Z

  1. When O.Henry writes, he has a touch that is unbelievable, the way he makes everything fall together. Each line is unique in a way because he writes like he talks, but in some cases he is able to use academic terms in his writings. He just builds up a picture for us. Forman said “The piquant and picturesque phrasing, the dash of the slang. The genial and winning fancy seems to carry the most fantastic situations.” This quote describes exactly what he does when he writes he is able to paint a picture for us.

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