The Daily Literary Voice — Episode 2: O. Henry, "The Gift of the Magi"

Episode 2 features O. Henry — born William Sydney Porter in 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. After a life of striking variety — pharmacist, ranch hand, bank teller, and eventually prisoner — he settled in New York City and became one of the most prolific and beloved American short-story writers of his era. "The Gift of the Magi" was first published in a New York newspaper in 1905 and later collected in The Four Million, a book named for the population of New York — a deliberate rejoinder to the society claim that only four hundred people in the city truly mattered.

The reading follows a curated version of the complete story, staying close to O. Henry's own words throughout.

This episode includes a brief piano and acoustic guitar theme at the opening and close. Running time: approximately 11 minutes 36 seconds.