O. Henry (1862-1910) was the pen name of American author William Sidney Porter, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, and more to his nature, a gypsy soul, who at various points in his life, was a bank teller, cowboy, sheep herder, merchant, miner, druggist, and journalist—as well as a convicted embezzler.
While in prison, Porter began writing short stories to help generate income in order to support his daughter Margaret. His numerous tales are renowned for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization, and twist endings. In fact, in literary parlance, an unexpected or surprising dénouement within any short piece of fiction is often referred to as an ‘O. Henry ending.’
The Green Door (1906)
The Green Door originally appeared in O. Henry’s second collection of short stories ~The Four Million ~ the title being a reference to the population of New York City at the turn of the century.
Although more adventure tale than mystery, we have selected The Green Door by O. Henry for the first episode of THE MYSTERY MAN PODCAST® because, from its opening lines, this story embodies and celebrates the irresistible allure of following the unknown; in that sense, it is the perfect opening gambit for a podcast that hopes to charm and intrigue you over the coming years with obscure tales of the unexpected.
The thematic device of the green door was, apparently, a recurring one in early 20th century fiction. The literary website languagehat.com cites Mary E. Stone Basset’s The Little Green Door (1905) and H.G. Wells’ The Door in the Wall (1911) as examples of this motif. “As Borley Rectory and The Green-Baize Door points out, in Victorian times, a green door led to the servant’s section, the behind-the-scenes part of a house, and that could be the origin of its mystique as a front for hidden activities.”
(Source: www.languagehat.com)
Although not traditionally associated with the mystery genre, O. Henry’s fascination with the unexpected ranks him high amongst readers who appreciate his cunning sense of plot and oddball-yet-charming characterization.
After penning nearly three-hundred stories, O. Henry died in 1910 of cirrhosis of the liver. Today, a prestigious award, the O. Henry Prize, is bestowed yearly to outstanding examples of short fiction. http://www.randomhouse.com/anchor/ohenry/
Further Reading:
http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/
http://www.io.com/~xeke/twoframe.htm
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/ohenry.htm
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/h#a634
http://www.foxearth.org.uk/BorleyRectory/BorleyRectoryandtheGreenBaizeDoor.htm
Caution: Due to their historical nature, many of these recordings may not reflect all our modern sensitivities to the complex issues of race, gender, and the diversity of religious beliefs. We trust that our listeners believe, as do we, that it is only by learning from the mistakes of the past that we may prevent ourselves from committing similar errors in the future.
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