He was born in 1862. O.Henry is one of the most
widely published American authors. His works have been translated into many
languages. The best of his stories were published in books: ''Cabbages and
Kings'', "The 4 million", "Heart of West" and others.
His credo was-art should be true, democratic, it
should address contemporary life and embrace all aspects of life.
O.Henry was an outstanding humorist. He worked out
and enriched all the types of the short story: the anecdote, the adventure
story, tales and sketches. He was most famous for his stories of city life.
O.Henry wrote about 150 stories with a New York background. He was a born
writer of great talent. In childhood I was deeply impressed by his story
"The Last Leaf".
Since then I bear in my heart the image of a young
girl suffering from serious illness and her friends doing everything they can
do to give her hope and bring her back to life. The author penetrates deeply
into a person's soul and reveals its best qualities. His love for humanity, for
common people, for critical attitude towards injustice attracts readers to this
day.