‘Options’ is a collection of 16 short stories from much-loved 20th century American author William Sidney Porter, better known as ‘O. Henry’. Stories from the collection include brave and ambitious ‘The Moment of Victory’, a strange encounter with a homeless man in ‘The Higher Pragmatism’, and a North versus South clash in ‘The Rose of Dixie’. O. Henry’s realistic portrayal of the human condition, his focus on the strange and unexpected, and his witty plot twists make him a favourite with established O. Henry readers and those new to his work. Fans of authors such as Mark Twain, Guy de Maupassant and Kate Chopin will appreciate O. Henry’s style.
William Sidney Porter (1862-1910) was an American writer best-known for his short stories. Born in North Carolina, Porter moved to Texas in his early twenties where he began his literary career contributing to newspapers and magazines such as ‘The Houston Post’. During this period he also began work at a bank where he was accused of embezzlement, lost his job and was arrested a year later. Growing fearful of his upcoming trial, Porter escaped to New Orleans and then Honduras while on bail, where he hid for several months. It was here that he was inspired to write one of his famous short story collections ‘Cabbages and Kings’. In 1897 Porter returned to the US and was sentenced to five years in prison. He continued to write and had several stories published from prison under various pseudonyms, the most famous of which was ‘O. Henry’ – a name by which he is better known. Upon release Porter moved to New York where his most intense period of writing began, authoring hundreds of short stories mostly for the New York World Sunday Magazine. His witty narration and plot twists made his stories a huge hit with readers, a legacy which endures to this day. Some of his most popular short stories include, ‘The Gift of the Magi’, ‘The Cop and the Anthem’ and ‘The Caballero’s Way’. 1952 film ‘O. Henry’s Full House’ featured five of his short stories and starred Marilyn Monroe and Charles Laughton. Annual American literary prize ‘The O. Henry Award’ was established in his honour in 1919.