A Brief History
On July 24, 1901, short story writer, William Sydney Porter, was released from prison in Ohio after serving three years for embezzlement. You know him better by his pen name, O. Henry.
Digging Deeper
Many famous writers have spent time in the slam, including:
Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, jailed for sedition in 1703 and again another time for anti-establishment writing.
The Marquis de Sade ran afoul of sodomy laws and found himself in and out of jail, finally ending up in an insane asylum in 1801, continuing to write while locked up.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the great Russian novelist, was sentenced to death for sedition in 1849, but won a reprieve to life in prison, serving eight years.
Irish novelist and playwright Oscar Wilde ran afoul of sodomy laws in 1895 and spent two years in prison.
And finally crime novelist, Dashiel Hammett, was jailed for contempt of court in 1951, for refusing to snitch on alleged revolutionaries.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Who would you add to this list?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Henry, O. O. Henry: 100 Selected Short Stories. Wordsworth Editions, 1997.
Newman, Friedman. Jail 101: Things to Know When You Go! Shackhound Publishing, 2010.
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