In March of 1898 he was sentenced to five years in the federal penitentiary. During his term he began his serious writing. He'd used a score of pseudonyms in his career to this point, but his favorite was borrowed from Orrin Henry, a prison guard.
O. Henry's popularity reached its height after his death. His writing was seen as straightforward and simple, written in the plain vernacular of his readers. His stories may rely on a sameness of plot, but the sharp, unexpected twist at the end is still his distinctive trademark today. Critics have singled out O. Henry as one of the greatest American short story writers - describing him as a "writer's writer" who also possesses universal appeal. A critic traveling early in the century fell into a conversation with a Midwest farmer. When asked if he ever read O. Henry, the farmer replied, "Professor, that's literature, that's real literature."
