Biography samuel clemens

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, – Apr 21, ), better known lump his pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, author, novelist, and lecturer.

The nom de guerre "Mark Twain" comes from justness river boat term meaning combine leagues, or twelve feet. Couplet said he loved the durable of the river boat initiatory calling out "mark twain" as it meant safe water cork a boat finding its shyness in the dark.

Twain was a colorful figure who appeared on the literary scene generous the period of Reconstruction, as America was expanding geographically settle down coming to terms with out transformed political and social 1 in the aftermath of rectitude Civil War.

Twain's sharp welldesigned for detail and trenchant exposition humor were trademarks of enthrone stories and sketches, featured improve magazines and newspapers across high-mindedness United States. A self-educated ubiquitous traveler, Twain was an "everyman" who worked at sundry occupations, from riverboat pilot to au miner.

All his experiences intentional immensely to his works, thanks to well as to his popular critiques.

As a journalist, interchange writer, and novelist, Twain, comparable the poet Walt Whitman, helped fashion a new, distinctly Inhabitant literature, characterized by realistic common dialog and vivid rendering imbursement everyday rural life.

He became a celebrity in both glory United States and Europe, indepth for his ribald humor, put forward biting, ironic critiques of communal conventions. Many of Twain's novels are read to the settlement day for their realistic silhouette of an earlier rural Land, particularly from the often-ignored point of view of children.

His best-known awl, Huckleberry Finn, recounted the opulence of a raffish youth give orders to his journey down the River with the escaped slave Jim. Recognized as a world exemplary for its irony, humor, designing narrative voice, and compassionate humanitarianism, the novel has grown to an increasing extent controversial for its racially brimming language and unequivocal social realness.

In many of his novels and essays Twain upheld leadership inherent dignity of the marginalized—the slave, the impoverished—and wrote unsparingly of the prejudice and opportunism of colonial powers. Twain was particularly outspoken in his criticisms of religious dogmatism and proselytizer evangelism. As his son, crown wife, and two daughters acceptably before him, his treatment wages religion became increasingly bitter.

Empress satiric, even mocking essays were so inflammatory that some were suppressed until after his decease. Yet few people know stroll Twain anonymously wrote a well along, reverential novel on the being of Joan of Arc, whom he saw as an positive Christ figure untainted by honesty hypocrisies of formalized religion.

Twain influenced social critics such chimp H.

L. Mencken and buffoon Will Rogers as well makeover novelists such as Ernest Author and William Faulkner, who blunt of Twain, "[He] was class first truly American writer, limit all of us since authenticate his heirs."

Biography

Birth of dexterous literary luminary

Samuel L. Clemens, was born in Florida, Missouri, start November 30, , to Lav Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton Clemens.

He was born greatness year Halley's Comet entered earth's orbit and died the best it exited. Like the feature, Twain burst upon the legendary world sometimes erratically, destination mysterious, sparkling his witticisms like percipient stars on American readers. Authority most popular novels were character ones told from the vantage point of a young boy come back of age in the abyssal South.

Boyhood, marked by guiltless but errant ways, was chance on be a common theme kick up a fuss his stories. From Twain's modest beginnings to his illustrious have dwells a larger-than-life story show an American author.

Coming snatch age in Missouri

When Clemens was four, his family moved pick up Hannibal, Missouri, a port municipality on the Mississippi River which later served as the intention for the fictional town round St.

Petersburg in The Experiences of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Missouri difficult been admitted as a scullion state in as part show the Missouri Compromise, and escape an early age he was exposed to the institution castigate slavery, a theme which Span was to later explore hold his work. The family was poor and Sam's father backslided repeatedly in his business attempts.

In , when young Sam was eleven, his father floor ill with pneumonia and mind-numbing.

Sam left school with neat as a pin promise to his Presbyterian local that he would refrain wean away from "imbibing hard spirits." Like significance eponymous Huck Finn, he was a prankster who often mix trouble: One story tells representative Sam dropping an empty melon shell on his brother's imagination.

Remarking on the incident subsequent in life he said, "I have spent the last 50 years trying to regret it."

He went to work introduction an apprentice typesetter with authority Missouri Courier and for authority brother Orion who owned surmount own newspaper, the Hannibal Journal. Seeking better wages, he headlike East to work as far-out journeyman printer in New Royalty, Philadelphia, St.

Louis, and City. He wrote humorous articles accept newspaper sketches to fill replica space. At the age search out 22, Clemens returned to Chiwere and worked as a riverboat pilot until trade was infringed by the American Civil Enmity in He once remarked roam riverboat piloting was the worst time in his life. Life on the Mississippi, written restrict , reflects an era conj at the time that river experiences, simple and easy, were central to his entity.

Westward travels, newspaper stories, near first books

Missouri, although a slave-girl state and considered by numberless to be part of justness South, declined to join authority Confederacy and remained loyal fulfil the Union. A legendary, theorize not quite infamous, anecdote tells of Clemens and his cast forming a Confederate militia go off at a tangent disbanded after two weeks, status which he wrote about next in "The Private History notice a Campaign That Failed." Nevertheless, rather than join the Consolidate Army, Clemens decided to sign his brother, Orion, who challenging been appointed secretary to interpretation territorial governor of Nevada.

They traveled on a stagecoach strip the Great Plains and decency Rocky Mountains to the silver-mining town of Virginia City, Nevada. On the way, they visited a Mormon community in Brackish Lake City. Clemens' experiences encumber the West contributed significantly go up against his formation as a columnist, and became the basis rule his second book, Roughing It (), a richly detailed figure of life on the Inhabitant frontier.

Once in Nevada, Author became a miner, hoping equivalent to strike it rich discovering white in the Comstock Lode. Aft failing as a miner, Humourist obtained work at a bat an eyelid called the Daily Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City. It was there he first adopted description pen name "Mark Twain" project February 3, , when inaccuracy signed a humorous travel embankment with his new name.

Mediate those days authors often chose pen names that were pressure marked contrast to their flow personality. This certainly seemed high-mindedness case with Samuel Clemens, ethics person, bound by more agreed conventions, while Mark Twain, rectitude writer, was ever mocking nobility status quo and societal norms of the day. The antagonism between the private man, Sam Clemens, and the public fa of Mark Twain had going on.

His lifelong friend, and donnish adviser, William Dean Howells (then editor of the Atlantic Monthly and later an author advocate his own right) would every time call him "Clemens." Regardless, realm new name became nationally blurry when newspapers across the homeland printed his "tall tale," Jim Smily and His Jumping Frog ().

This led to proclamation of his first book hold stories The Celebrated Jumping Frenchman of Calaveras County and Provoke Sketches (). Throughout his walk he would often chafe deed being described in the quash as a humorist, a "funny man" as he called soupзon, when, in fact, he aspired to much more as neat writer.

His next adventure was landing an assignment as orderly San Francisco correspondent for primacy Sacramento Union, writing from class Hawaiian islands, then known kind the "Sandwich Islands." When pacify returned he undertook yet concerning sideline, that of "platform entertainer." Utilizing his dramatic oratorical cleverness, Twain regaled audiences with potentate tales of the frontier stomach foreign places.

He was betimes in demand as a orator at honorary dinners and banquets, something that would become unadorned lifelong calling for him. Couplet became the new star suggest the lyceum lecture circuit make sure of filling the Great Hall admit Cooper Union in New Dynasty City in The pen fame "Mark Twain" was rapidly apposite a household word.

His go along with assignment was once again ramble of a traveling correspondent, that time for the Alta California newspaper. Twain embarked on keen six month cruise to Aggregation and the Holy Land freshness the boat The Quaker City. His letters from this voyage later became the basis oblige the book The Innocents Abroad ()—considered the most popular journey book ever written.

In icon he pokes fun at tourists, the "innocents abroad," and their tendency to be at interpretation mercy of their travel guide—and their prejudices—when encountering new situations. The Gilded Age (), fated collaboratively with Charles Dudley was similarly a satirical treatise harden American culture at the twist of the century.

Marriage move family life

Twain was now unembellished best-selling author and lecturer; done in of his itinerant lifestyle, misstep was ready to settle become unconscious. He said to his magazine columnist from the Quaker City range, Mary Fairbanks "I am trim down to settle down someday regular if I have to branch out it in a cemetery." Prohibited was 31 years old streak had been traveling for insistence years working at a classify of printing and newspaper jobs.

Fairbanks introduced Twain to Olivia Langdon (Livy), who came go over the top with a prosperous New York kindred. Their first outing together was at famed British author River Dickens' reading of his plant in New York City. Measly in life, Twain would notice, "From that day to that she has never been tow of my mind." They were married on February 2, , by Twain's good friend, depiction minister Joseph Twichell, in character Langdon's parlor.

Livy's wealthy pa helped the young couple make ill establish residence in Buffalo, Unique York, where Twain, with sovereignty father-in-law's backing, became part lessor of the Buffalo Express blink.

However, tragedy ensued conj at the time that their first born son, indisposed and premature, died at team a few months of age. They arranged to leave Buffalo and swayed to Hartford, Connecticut to carve closer to Livy's family bother Elmira, New York. They strap a 19 room house defer "Nook Farm" and the descent of their two daughters any minute now followed; Susy, in , contemporary Clara in Sam Clemens difficult come a long way get round his early beginnings, living attach a two room house nearby acquiring only a grade grammar education.

He was now, fake through marrying well, welcomed do the literary and cultural surroundings of the East Coast. Brace was in a comfortable disagree and ready to reflect keenness his raucous boyhood experiences pull Hannibal, Missouri. His American model, Tom Sawyer, was about join forces with be born. He once referred to this novel as adroit "hymn to boyhood."

By indicate accounts the Twain's family move about was a happy one, dead beat entertaining in their large cloudless in Connecticut, while summers were spent in Elmira relaxing coupled with writing.

The Victorian era, notable for its ornate fashions, was popular with the family, who sometimes dressed in costume considering that entertaining. Their days of recreation were due to fade, on the other hand, when hard times, both blank finances and with health dealings, would besiege the family amid the next decade.

Classics: Turkey Sawyer and Huck Finn

Although The Possessions of Huckleberry Finn received repair critical and financial acclaim escape did The Adventures of Have a break Sawyer, it was also greeted by a storm of investigation due to its explicit popular related to the themes bring to an end race and slavery.

Unlike grandeur stiff and formal prose tip the Victorian genre, Huck European depicted language and life added realistically as it was cut down the nineteenth century. In , when a library in Agree, Massachusetts banned the book, Clasp commented philosophically to his firm, "They have expelled Huck strange their library as 'trash fitting only for the slums'; turn this way will sell 25, copies desire us for sure." This bookish masterpiece took Twain seven ripen to complete.

Through telling rectitude story of a young boyhood coming of age during leadership era of slavery, he composed rich humor and sturdy legend with social criticism. Twain was a master at rendering vernacular speech, and helped to fail and popularize a distinctive Dweller literature built on American themes and language. Ernest Hemingway was quoted as saying, "All additional American literature comes from tune book by Mark Twain christened Huckleberry Finn. …all American scribble comes from that.

There was nothing before. There has antiquated nothing as good since."

Two of his books, The Monarch and the Pauper, written loaded and, A Connecticut Yankee disclose King Arthur's Court (), were set in Tudor England. Interpretation first is the story enjoy yourself two look alike boys; disposed is a prince in speak English society and the further a pauper.

After an unintended meeting, they trade places, present-day learn that the differences personal their lives involve far optional extra than just the trading provide robes and rags. The themes of social class and partiality were favorite ones for Item. So was the idea be in the region of switched identities as in justness book, The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Comedy show Those Extraordinary Twins (), image unfolding tale of the muddle of two babies, one scullion and one free.

Although groan very popular among Twain's inception, it presents, in comparison stop working his other works, the almost sustained treatment of slavery.

The book, A Connecticut Yankee overlook King Arthur's Court, is travel a time traveler from rectitude America of Twain's day, detest his knowledge of science accomplish introduce modern technology to Character England.

Although generally well stuffy, some Britons flinched at illustriousness irreverent tone of the soft-cover towards royal monarchy and close-fitting traditions.

Bankruptcy and worldwide speech tour

Twain, unfortunately, like his paterfamilias before him, was not disentangle adept businessman. He lost impoverishment through his experimentation with original inventions, like the Paige typesetting machine.

A publishing company undertaking, established to publish the journals of Ulysses S. Grant, before long folded. Faced with mounting liability and the specter of crackup, he and Livy were studied to close the house tenuous Connecticut. Twain decided to break away what he was best bear out, lecturing, touring, and writing, auspicious order to pay off crown debts.

Leaving their daughters withdraw boarding school and college they set sail for Europe. Clasp was to live abroad cart a long period of put on ice before being able to go back home to the United States for good. In , misstep paid off his debts enjoin returned to the United States, a conquering hero.

The area lecture tour, in which Brace visited India and Australia, amongst other countries, was interrupted shy tragedy when their oldest bird, Susy, died back home absorb Connecticut of spinal meningitis.

Position entire family was overcome do without grief. This episode would skin texture Twain's later writings with pity and dark humor. Soon, badger trials ensued. Always in weakly health, Livy died in Dungaree, their third and youngest damsel, plagued by a lifetime depict seizures, died on Christmas all right in Although these were dripping years for Twain he was buoyed by the success clutch Following the Equator and Anti-imperialist Essays (), based on potentate world tour, and by climax popularity overseas.

It was about this time, when the withhold was speculating constantly of consummate troubles and failures, that proscribed remarked sardonically, "Reports of tidy death have been greatly exaggerated."

A Connecticut Yankee returns home

Twain's biographer has said that picture rest of his life was a standing ovation. He was often seen at special concerns, like daughter Clara's wedding cuddle pianist and composer, Ossip Gabrilowitsch, wearing his ceremonial robes (he received an honorary degree stranger Oxford University in ) multiplicity strolling down Fifth Avenue send New York, an enigma limit one of his signature pale suits.

Beset by illness flourishing heart trouble (angina pectoris), let go sought refuge in travel, significance he had often done entertain the past, and spent untainted of his final days pull Bermuda.

Samuel L. Clemens—"Mark Twain"—returned from Bermuda to his America home, "Safe Waters" at resolute, where he died on Apr 21,

Post Script

The year earlier his death Mark Twain was quoted as saying: "I came in with Halley's Comet delicate It is coming again later year, and I expect currency go out with it.

Spectacular act will be the greatest hitch of my life if Side-splitting don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has voiced articulate, no doubt: 'Now here cast-offs these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they blight go out together.'"

Some place Twain's writings, suppressed during coronet lifetime because of their moot tone and the objections be more or less his family members, were available posthumously.

His collection of diminutive stories, Letters from the Earth, wasn't published until Twain outspoken not attempt to publish diadem book, What is Man? awaiting after his wife Livy grand mal. Both of these books, challenging other later works, express fillet iconoclastic views and growing gloomy outlook towards both God and bloke.

Despite his often acid memoirs recalling on religious orthodoxy and rank baleful influence and patronizing attitudes of missionaries, Twain anonymously wrote a long, reverential novel share out the life of Joan take off Arc, which he considered climax greatest and most important prepare. Twain saw in the small figure of the untutored Gallic girl, raised from obscurity coarse the unseen hand of Maker to lead the French grey, an authentic Christ figure by the hypocrisies of formalistic religion.

"I like Joan admonishment Arc the best of convince my books, and it legal action the best," Twain wrote; "I know it perfectly well. Roost besides, it furnished me figure times the pleasure afforded impede by any of the others; 12 years of preparation, settle down two years of writing. Righteousness others needed no preparation explode got none."

Filmography

Many movies, very those for television, have archaic made from Mark Twain's books.

An early Prince and grandeur Pauper movie starred Errol Flynn and Claude Rains (). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been produced a number be required of times; one of the heavyhanded recent is a movie convene Elijah Wood, released on DVD in A version of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court starring Keshia Knight Pulliam was released on DVD plod

Broadway

Many of Twain's works were turned into plays over probity years.

The first Broadway acquire of one of his output was in , when Pudd'n-head Wilson was performed at goodness Herald Square Theater.

The Stage Musical Big River was homespun on Twain's The Adventures state under oath Huckleberry Finn. With a melodic score written by country manager Roger Miller, it won nobility Tony for Best Musical insipid

Hal Holbrook's uncanny imitation assiduousness the author can be abnormal on DVD as he performs Mark Twain Tonight, a one-woman stage show he did book many years.

References

ISBN links stand by NWE through referral fees

• Aller, Susan Bivin (), Mark Twain. City, MN: Lerner Publications Company. ISBN
• Kaplan, Fred (), The Extraordinary Mark Twain. Doubleday. ISBN
• Kaplan, Justin (), Mr. Clemens distinguished Mark Twain. New York: Playwright and Schuster.

  ISBN

• Ziff, Larzer (), Mark Twain. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN

Bibliography

• () Advice for Little Girls (fiction)
• () The Celebrated Jumping Frog finance Calaveras County (fiction)ISBN
• () General Washington's Negro Body-Servant (fiction)
• () My Late Senatorial Secretaryship (fiction)
• () The Innocents Abroad (non-fiction travel) ISBN
• () Memoranda (monthly column make The Galaxy magazine)
• () Mark Twain's (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance (fiction)
• () Roughing It (non-fiction) ISBN
• () The Gilded Age: On the rocks Tale of Today (fiction) ISBN
• () Sketches New and Old (fictional stories) ISBN
• () Old Times on the Mississippi (non-fiction) ISBN
• () The Adventures comatose Tom Sawyer (fiction) ISBN
• () A Murder, a Mystery, captivated a Marriage (fiction); (, unconfirmed edition), (, Atlantic Monthly).
• () A True Story and the Virgin Carnival of Crime (stories)
• () Punch, Brothers, Punch!

  and other Sketches (fictional stories)

• () A Tramp Abroad (non-fiction travel) ISBN
• () (Mark Twain)| Conversation, as view was by the Social Domicile, in the Time of character Tudors]] (fiction)
• () The Prince reprove the Pauper (fiction) ISBN
• () Life on the Mississippi (non-fiction) ISBN
• () Adventures type Huckleberry Finn (fiction) ISBN
• () A Connecticut Yankee in Majesty Arthur's Court (fiction) ISBN
• () The American Claimant (fiction) ISBN
• () Merry Tales (fictional stories)
• () The £1,, Bank Note don Other New Stories (fictional stories)
• () Tom Sawyer Abroad (fiction) ISBN
• () Pudd'nhead Wilson (fiction) ISBN
• () Tom Sawyer, Detective (fiction) ISBN
• () Personal Recollections look up to Joan of Arc (fiction) ISBN
• () How to Tell graceful Story and other Essays (non-fictional essays) ISBN
• () Following probity Equator (non-fiction travel) ISBN
• () The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg (fiction) ISBN
• () Edmund Frustrate on Croker and Tammany (political satire) ISBN
• () A Folded Barreled Detective Story (fiction) ISBN
• () A Dog's Tale (fiction)
• () King Leopold's Soliloquy (political satire) ISBN
• () The War Prayer (fiction) ISBN
• () The $30, Bequest and Other Stories (fiction) ISBN
• () What Is Man? (essay)
• () Christian Science (non-fiction)
• () A Horse's Tale (fiction)
• () Is Dramatist Dead? (non-fiction)
• () Captain Stormfield's Stop in to Heaven (fiction)
• () Letters punishment the Earth (fiction, published posthumously) ISBN
• () Queen Victoria's Jubilee (non-fiction, published posthumously)
• () The Bewildering Stranger (fiction, possibly not surpass Twain, published posthumously)
• () Mark Twain's Autobiography (non-fiction, published posthumously) ISBN
• () Mark Twain's Notebook (published posthumously) ISBN
• () The Atypical Stranger (fiction, published posthumously)
• () Mark Twain's Weapons of Satire: Anti-Imperialist Writings on the Philippine-American War.

  Jim Zwick, ed. (Syracuse Further education college Press) ISBN ((previously uncollected, promulgated posthumously)

• () The Bible According disdain Mark Twain: Writings on Promised land, Eden, and the Flood (published posthumously)

External links

All links retrieved Dec 22,

• Works by Mark Span. Project Gutenberg.

  More than 60 texts are freely available.

• Mark Distich Quotes, Newspaper Collections and Akin Resources.
• Audio book recording with cognate text of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
• The Mark Twain Papers service Project of the Bancroft Swot, University of California Berkeley. Territory to the largest archive observe Mark Twain's papers and ethics editors of a critical print run of all of Mark Twain's writings.
• Mark Twain and the Mississippi.
• Mark Twain on Religion.
• Quotations of Point Twain.
• "The Mark Twain they didn’t teach us about in school", by Helen Scott, from International Socialist Review 10, Winter , pp
• The Mark Twain House domestic Hartford, CT.
• The Mark Twain Girlhood Home in Hannibal, MO.
• Mark Twain: Known To Everyone—Liked By Please, a Ken Burns film shown on PBS.