Cabbages and Kings - Softcover

Henry, O.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1907245014 ISBN 13: 9781907245015

Publisher: Myna Classics, 2009

Synopsis

Written with the author's characteristic blend of humour and pathos, Cabbages and Kings (1904) is less a novel than a series of cleverly interwoven short-stories. In Coralio - a sultry coastal town in the volatile banana republic of Anchuria - a disparate cast of vagabonds, hucksters, mercenaries, merchants and consuls is busy plotting, scamming, drinking, loving or trying to forget the past. Each has his own tale to tell and his own particular reason for washing up on these tropical shores - and all have a part to play as this masterpiece of twisting narrative begins to unfold....

About this title

About the Author:

O. Henry (1862-1910) was born William Sidney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina. His father was a doctor and madcap inventor and his mother, who died when he was three years old, was a gifted artist and scholar. He was educated by his aunt, who encouraged his love of literature, and at fifteen became a clerk at his uncle's pharmacy.

In 1882, Porter moved to Austin, Texas, where he took a job as a draughtsman. He married five years later, and in 1891, with a young wife and daughter to support, became a teller at the First National Bank.

Porter left the bank in 1894, but was summoned back to answer charges of embezzlement. The amount in question was more than $1,000 and, despite protesting his innocence, he panicked and fled to New Orleans. After sailing to Honduras (the inspiration for Anchuria in Cabbages and Kings) he returned to the United States on hearing news that his wife was dying. He was tried a year later and sentenced to five years' imprisonment at the Ohio Penitentiary.
It was during his time in prison that Porter first began to send stories to magazines under his adopted pseudonym, and by the time of his release in 1901 `O. Henry' was already an established name. He moved to New York and wrote prodigiously before publishing his first book, Cabbages and Kings, in 1904. This was followed by numerous collections of short stories, including The Four Million (1906), Waifs and Strays (1907), The Trimmed Lamp (1907) and The Voice of the City (1908).
As Porter's success grew so his health began to deteriorate and it was a combination of overwork and heavy drinking that contributed to his early death.

About this edition

• Publisher: Myna Classics
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1907245014
• ISBN 13: 9781907245015
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 162