O. Henry “Gifts of the Magi”

The winter period, when people give gifts to each other, we invite you to re-read the short story of the brilliant novelist O. Henry “Gifts of the Magi”.

Biography of O. Henry
William Porter was born on September 11, 1862 in North Carolina. At the age of 3, his mother died of tuberculosis, so William was raised by his paternal uncle and aunt. An uncle, the successor to the dynasty of the Porter family of doctors, owned his own pharmacy.

At 16, William gets a job at his pharmacy and a year later receives a license as a pharmacist. At 19, the young man develops symptoms of tuberculosis and moves to Texas for a change of climate. Moved into a friend’s ranch. Living there, William did not pay for accommodation and food, but helped with various work. Finally getting stronger, he moved to the city of Austin.
William soon met the young Athol Estes. Although the girl’s parents were against this marriage, the couple got married after several years of relationship. At the same time, William takes his first steps in literature, in which his wife is very supportive. Working in various fields, Porter still tried to write to various newspapers and magazines, in the hope that he would be noticed. Read books and novels by O. Henry online for free on our website.
And so it was in 1895 that Porter moved to Houston with his wife and daughter, where he began writing for the Houston Post. Although Porter’s salary was only $25 (he had earned about $100 in previous jobs), his popularity grew, ideas were born with diligent persistence, and he honed his writing skills, developing his own style. Here are a few books by O. Henry that you can read online on our website:

• “Cowboy Christmas Present”;
• “Gifts of the Magi”;
• Collected works, in which you will find most of the novels by O. Henry.

While working in a bank, William most likely performed his duties carelessly and was accused of embezzling money. Porter was put on the wanted list. He fled to Honduras, but soon learned that his wife, who suffered from tuberculosis, was dying.Returning, he surrendered to the court and spent the last days of his life with his beloved. Athol died in the summer of 1897.

Conclusion and final years
In the winter of 1898, another court session was held, during which Porter was found guilty and imprisoned for 5 years. Shocked by the death of his wife, William changes his style and analyzes human personalities more and more. At the same time, the cult pseudonym O. Henry was created, under which Porter became most famous. After spending 3 years in prison, William was released.
In 1902 he moved to New York to be closer to the publishing house where he worked. This is the most productive time for a writer. Then he wrote about 380 stories. In 1907 he married his school love. Unfortunately, gradually William drank himself, because of this, his health noticeably worsened. Under the pressure of circumstances, the second wife left the writer in 1909 and in the summer of 1910 O. Henry died.

“Gifts of the Magi”
Jim and Della are a loving couple who live in abject poverty. The family has only two treasures: Della’s luxurious curls and Jim’s gold watch, a gift from his wife. On the eve of the holidays, Delle does not have enough money for a present for Jim: a gold chain for his watch. She decides to do the impossible – she cuts her hair, buys a present and hopes that Jim won’t hate her with her new hairstyle.
Arriving home, Jim viewed his wife with mixed feelings. Of course, no circumstances will force him to stop loving his only one. But it was difficult for him to realize the absence of Della’s beautiful braids.

Embarrassed, he took out a gift. The package contained a set of tortoiseshell combs with precious stones – the object of Della’s dreams. In response, she gave her husband a chain. But the gifts of both were not suitable: Della had no hair, and Jim pawned a gold watch to buy combs for his beloved. Read O. Henry’s story “The Gift of the Magi” completely online and without registration on our website. Enjoy reading!