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O. Henry, is the pseudonym for William Sydney Porter (1862 - 1910), American writer of short stories, best known for his ironic plot twists and surprise endings. Born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, O. Henry was fascinated by New York street life, which provided a setting for many of his later stories. During the last ten years of his life, O. Henry became one of the most popular writers in America, publishing over 500 short stories in dozens of widely read periodicals. His style of storytelling became a model not only for short fiction, but also for American motion pictures and television programmes. Writing at the rate of more than one story per week, O. Henry published ten collections of stories during a career that barely spanned a decade. The short story 'The Pendulum' has been taken from 'The Trimmed Lamp' published in 1907. In 1919 the O. Henry Memorial Awards were founded by the Society of Arts and Science for the best American short stories published each year.
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