O. Henry (real name William Sydney Porter, 1862—1910) — an American writer, humorist, master of short stories with unexpected endings. The plots of his works often drew from life. While sitting in prison on charges of embezzlement, he wrote his first story. His creations had happy endings, but the author himself was not favored by fate. Thus, the famous «The Gifts of the Magi» was written after he arrived at his dying wife's side for Christmas. He managed to say goodbye to his beloved, and she — to give her husband one last gift — a gold chain for his watch. The woman did not know that he had sold that very watch to buy a ticket back to his hometown.
The collection includes stories with unexpected twists. Their heroes — are either simply «little people» of big New York, or carefree and cheerful artists and writers, or guys from a rough gangster neighborhood and their touchingly loyal girlfriends, or inhabitants of the Wild West — cowboys, ranchers, farmers. Their plots are always captivatingly engaging, the resolutions are swift and unexpected. All of them are full of subtle humor, unexpected comparisons, and unpredictable outcomes. The heroes of the stories are noble and romantic, inventive and resourceful, optimistic and full of life, finding a way out of any situation.
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