| Author |
Message |
    
Carias
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 12:51 pm: | |
Dear Mr. Belveal,
I have just read your Introduction to "The Compleat [I love the old spellings in English before the pedants took over in the early nineteenth century] O. Henry" and I consider it very on the mark as to what happened to that great Author before he found his calling. I have always admired him as a man for his strength of character in that he did not let his misfortunes turn him into a cynic and a bitter person; instead, he overcome them and became even more a man of great feeling and compassion for the down-trodden. Apart from the Honduras/Anchuria cycle of stories, I especially like the magisterial "A Municipal Report" about the home town of the ill-fated 'filibuster' buried at Trujillo, Dr. and Gen. William Walker. It captured the dignity and grace of both the White and Black races in what was, until its Yankeefication starting in the 1970's, a quintisential Southern city. I refer to Nashville.
Also, I read your well stated explanation why the 'site' came about and why it will continue. You dealt a strong blow to the present 'generation' of banksters and politicians who have so tarnished the image of Honduras, a country that has produced many decent public men during the course of its benighted history.
I admire your perseverance. |
lorenzo
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 03:12 pm: | |
Carias: thank you for your kind words anent my treatment of O.Henry. It could hardly be otherwise. I have been an O.Henry fan since I first discovered his delightful tale, "The Ransom of Red Chief", when I was ten or twelve years old. Since then, I have been an O.Henry devotee. I have all of his stories and am trying to accumulate his newspaper writings from the days when he was a reporter on the New York World newspaper.
My inclusion of O.Henry in my WebSite is due to the fact that I think contemporary literature short-changes the innovations and contributions that he made to the craft - especially short-story writing.
I'm glad you enjoyed my offerings. Lorenzo
|
|
