The Vitagraphoscope

Written by O. Henry

Narrated by Maria Tolkacheva

O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) is a great American writer. His stories are usually humorous with surprising endings. He was born in 1862 in Greensboro. The first wife Athol Estes died early. O. Henry spent several years in prison, where wrote his first story. In 1902 he moves to New-York and started writing for magazines. His first book was "Cabbages and Kings" published in 1904.

Also famous O' Henry's storybooks: "The Four Million", "The Trimmed Lamp", "The Voice of the City" etc. The writer had problems with alcohol and suffered from cirrhosis and diabetes. He died in 1910.

Original plot, unexpected ending, sarcastic humor - that's what features O. Henry's works.

The Vitagraphoscope is a final story from "Cabbages and Kings", inspired by his travelling to Honduras. This is a short note describing different themes. Enjoy reading O. Henry's wonderful prose.

A SmartTouch Media production.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SmartTouch Media
• Release date: Jan 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781467605564

O. Henry

O. Henry (1862-1910) was an American short story writer. Born and raised in North Carolina, O. Henry—whose real name was William Sydney Porter—moved to Texas in 1882 in search of work. He met and married Athol Estes in Austin, where he became well known as a musician and socialite. In 1888, Athol gave birth to a son who died soon after, and in 1889 a daughter named Margaret was born. Porter began working as a teller and bookkeeper at the First National Bank of Austin in 1890 and was fired four years later and accused of embezzlement. Afterward, he began publishing a satirical weekly called The Rolling Stone, but in 1895 he was arrested in Houston following an audit of his former employer. While waiting to stand trial, Henry fled to Honduras, where he lived for six months before returning to Texas to surrender himself upon hearing of Athol’s declining health. She died in July of 1897 from tuberculosis, and Porter served three years at the Ohio Penitentiary before moving to Pittsburgh to care for his daughter. While in prison, he began publishing stories under the pseudonym “O. Henry,” finding some success and launching a career that would blossom upon his release with such short stories as “The Gift of the Magi” (1905) and “The Ransom of Red Chief” (1907). He is recognized as one of America’s leading writers of short fiction, and the annual O. Henry Award—which has been won by such writers as William Faulkner, John Updike, and Eudora Welty—remains one of America’s most prestigious literary prizes.