163 years ago today, September 11, 1862 (August 18, 1862 in the lunar calendar) was the birthday of American novelist O. Henry. Henry On September 11, 1862, American novelist O. Henry was born in a small town in North Carolina, USA. His original name was William Sidney Porter. His father was a doctor. He had been an apprentice in his uncle's pharmacy since he was 15 years old. Later, he also raised cattle for two years and worked as an accountant, land bureau clerk and bank teller. In 1896, O. Henry was sentenced to five years in prison for no reason on suspicion that the bank had lost a small amount of money. While in prison, he used the pseudonym "O. Henry" to publish short stories in the then famous "McClure" magazine. After being released from prison, he came to New York, where he lived in inns, apartments, parks, taverns, slums, and inferior theaters. He said he was one of New York's "4 million" citizens, not one of the "400" millionaires. O. Henry writes diligently and provides short stories to newspapers and periodicals almost at the rate of one per week. He has written about 300 novels. According to subject matter, they basically fall into three categories: those writing about Central America, those writing about the Western United States, and those writing about New York City, especially Manhattan. The best one is about New York. He rendered the atmosphere of small restaurants and dilapidated apartments in the streets of Manhattan in New York very lifelike, so he was known as the "Poet Laureate of Manhattan". Because O. Henry had a lot of difficulties in his life, he shared a common destiny with the "little people". His novels not only have the effect of "tearful smiles", but also deepen the realistic and social significance of the works. A dozen of O. Henry's best short stories still have many readers. Among them,"The Gift of the Maggie","The Police and the Hymn","The Last Vine Leaf","A Furnished Room for Rent","Municipal Report","The Oriole Behind" and "The Path We Choose" are all well-known works. The author's description of American social life clearly defines love and hate, expresses deep sympathy for the frustrated little people, and mocks capitalist society with a tearful smile. O. Henry's works are dramatic in plots, and there are often unexpected endings at the end. His unique novel approach has had a great influence on the creation of American short stories. O. Henry was a popular short story writer in the United States at the beginning of this century. Due to his frequent financial difficulties, he finally died prematurely in 1910 due to illness and excessive drinking, at the age of 49.