O. Henry

American  

[oh hen-ree] / oʊ ˈhɛn ri /

noun

1. pen name of William Sydney Porter.

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O. Henry British  

/ əʊ ˈhɛnrɪ /

noun

1. pen name of William Sidney Porter. 1862–1910, US short-story writer. His collections of stories, characterized by his use of caricature and surprising endings, include Cabbages and Kings (1904) and The Four Million (1906)

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Henry, O. Cultural  

1. A twentieth-century American author known for “The Gift of the Magi” and other short stories. He specialized in surprise endings. His real name was William Sydney Porter.

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Example Sentences

Short story writers like O. Henry dazzled readers with their deft finales.

From Los Angeles Times

I feel like “Christmas Eve” has a slight O. Henry, “Gift of the Magi” element to it — another literary reference that hopefully the kids who watch “Frog and Toad” will read someday.

From Salon

“She started me on Nancy Drew once we had the basics. Then she moved me on to O. Henry.”

From New York Times

Like O. Henry, Brown regularly employed surprise endings throughout his work.

From Washington Post

He says the story was inspired by “The Gift of the Magi,” the O. Henry short story about a young poor couple.

From Seattle Times