欧亨利 1.ppt

At the age of 20, Poter came to Texas primarily for health reasons, hoping that a change of air would help alleviate a persistent cough he had developed, and worked on a sheep ranch. It was here that Poter gained a knowledge for ranch life that he later described in many of his short stories. By 1887, Poter began working as a draftsman in the General Land Office. In 1891, Poter resigned and became a teller with the First National Bank in Austin. The bank was operated informally and Porter may have embezzled funds. In 1894, he was accused by the bank of embezzlement and lost his job but was not indicted (起诉，控告). He then worked full-time on his humorous weekly called The Rolling Stone (《滚石》), which he started while working at the bank. The Rolling Stone featured satire on life, people and politics and included Porter‘s short stories and sketches. Although eventually reaching a top circulation (发行量) of 1500, The Rolling Stone failed in April 1895 since the paper never provided an adequate income. Porter and his family moved to Houston in 1895, where he started writing for the Post (《休斯敦邮报》). While he was in Houston, the First National Bank of Austin was audited (查账) by federal auditors (稽查员) and they found the embezzlement shortages that had led to his firing. A federal indictment (控告，起诉) followed and he was arrested on charges of embezzlement. In early 1898 Poter was found guilty of the banking charges when he returned to Austin to see his dying wife, and was sentenced to five years in an Ohio prison. 1902年，他移居纽约，成了职业作家，创作了上百篇优秀的短篇小说。他是为了离杂志社和出版商更近一些才这样做的。尽管他没有忘记早年的欢乐，他却看见了生活的阴暗面。他不辞辛劳的日夜写作，大量优秀的作品就是这一时期创作的。他这时的写作速度非常快，极少修改。他为此曾说过：“一篇小说一旦开了头，我就非得一口气写到底不可，要不然就再也写不下去。”在纽约，由于大量佳作的发表，他名利双收，有时也受到记者的采访。可他不仅挥霍无度，而且赌博，染上了他父亲的恶习——酗酒。写作的劳累与生活的无节制使他的身体受到了严重损伤。 1904年，他出版了一生中唯一一部长篇小说《白菜与国王》（Cabbages and Kings），这是一部结构松散的政治讽刺小说，有时也被视作短篇小说集。 1906年，他出版了短篇小说集《四百万》（The Four Million）出版，其中包括《麦琪的礼物》（The Gift of the Magi）、《警察与赞美诗》、《四百万》（The Four Million）、《二十年后》和《带家具出租的房间》等名篇。欧·亨利这部