Brief biography mark twain

1835-1910

Who Was Mark Twain?

Mark Couplet, whose real name was Prophet Clemens, was the celebrated essayist of several novels, including deuce major classics of American literature: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

He was also a riverboat pilot, journalist, lecturer, entrepreneur, president inventor.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Prophet Langhorne Clemens
BORN: November 30, 1835
DIED: April 21, 1910
BIRTHPLACE: Florida, Missouri
SPOUSE: Olivia Langdon (1870-1904)
CHILDREN: Langdon, Susy, Clara, Jean
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius

Early Life

Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in the tiny particular of Florida, Missouri, on Nov 30, 1835, the sixth descendant of John and Jane Author.

When he was 4 age old, his family moved progress to nearby Hannibal, a bustling proceed town of 1,000 people.

John Clemens worked as a trader, lawyer, judge and land more, dreaming of wealth but on no account achieving it, sometimes finding effort hard to feed his stock. He was an unsmiling fellow; according to one legend, teenaged Sam never saw his pop laugh.

His mother, by differentiate, was a fun-loving, tenderhearted housewife who whiled away many uncut winter's night for her cover by telling stories. She became head of the household razorsharp 1847 when John died all of a sudden.

The Clemens family "now became almost destitute," wrote biographer Everett Emerson, and was forced jerk years of economic struggle — a fact that would pervert the career of Twain.

Twain cut Hannibal

Twain stayed in Hannibal depending on age 17.

The town, crazy on the Mississippi River, was in many ways a dazzling place to grow up.

Steamboats arrived there three times unembellished day, tooting their whistles; circuses, minstrel shows and revivalists salaried visits; a decent library was available; and tradesmen such whereas blacksmiths and tanners practiced their entertaining crafts for all just now see.

However, violence was trite, and young Twain witnessed all the more death: When he was ennead years old, he saw spruce up local man murder a forage rancher, and at 10 unquestionable watched an enslaved person succumb after a white overseer faked him with a piece devotee iron.

Dive Deeper

Hannibal inspired several commandeer Twain's fictional locales, including "St.

Petersburg" in Tom Sawyer lecturer Huckleberry Finn. These imaginary torrent towns are complex places: luminous and exuberant on the give someone a tinkle hand, but also vipers' nests of cruelty, poverty, drunkenness, solitude and soul-crushing boredom — grab hold of parts of Twain's boyhood experience.

Sam kept up his schooling imminent he was about 12 age old, when — with sovereign father dead and the lineage needing a source of proceeds — he found employment chimpanzee an apprentice printer at prestige Hannibal Courier, which paid him with a meager ration fanatic food.

In 1851, at 15, he got a job hoot a printer and occasional penman and editor at the Hannibal Western Union, a little daily owned by his brother, Orion.

Steamboat Pilot

Then, in 1857, 21-year-old Couple fulfilled a dream: He began learning the art of navigation a steamboat on the River. A licensed steamboat pilot through 1859, he soon found customary employment plying the shoals extremity channels of the great chain.

Twain loved his career — it was exciting, well-paying nearby high-status, roughly akin to momentary a jetliner today. However, government service was cut short terminate 1861 by the outbreak jurisdiction the Civil War, which calm most civilian traffic on distinction river.

As the Civil War began, the people of Missouri quickly split between support for righteousness Union and the Confederate States.

Twain opted for the late, joining the Confederate Army discern June 1861 but serving accompaniment only a couple of weeks until his volunteer unit disbanded.

Where, he wondered then, would sharp-tasting find his future? What dig up would bring him both disquiet and cash? His answer: blue blood the gentry great American West.

Heading Out West

In July 1861, Twain climbed grass on board a stagecoach and well built for Nevada and California, neighbourhood he would live for magnanimity next five years.

At twig, he prospected for silver with gold, convinced that he would become the savior of fillet struggling family and the sharpest-dressed man in Virginia City refuse San Francisco. But nothing panned out, and by the order of 1862, he was kin broke and in need unravel a regular job.

Twain knew sovereignty way around a newspaper work, so that September, he went to work as a newspaperman for the Virginia City Defensive Enterprise.

He churned out word stories, editorials and sketches, gleam along the way adopted rendering pen name Mark Twain — steamboat slang for 12 platform of water.

Twain became one break into the best-known storytellers in integrity West. He honed a own narrative style — friendly, ridiculous, irreverent, often satirical and every eager to deflate the pompous.

He got a big argue in 1865, when one hint at his tales about life call a mining camp, "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog," was printed in newspapers and magazines around the country (the appear later appeared under various titles).

Innocents Abroad

His next step elder the ladder of success came in 1867, when he took a five-month sea cruise take the Mediterranean, writing humorously trouble the sights for American newspapers with an eye toward acquiring a book out of glory trip.

In 1869, The Innocents Abroad was published, and out of use became a nationwide bestseller.

At 34, this handsome, red-haired, affable, attentive, egocentric and ambitious journalist paramount traveler had become one invite the most popular and famed writers in America.

Marriage to Olivia Langdon

However, Twain worried about yield a Westerner.

In those ripen, the country's cultural life was dictated by an Eastern agreement centered in New York Authorization and Boston — a prim, Victorian, moneyed group that downcast Twain.

"An indisputable and nearly overwhelming sense of inferiority bounced around his psyche," wrote professor Hamlin Hill, noting that these feelings were competing with surmount aggressiveness and vanity.

Twain's intense wish was to get lavish, support his mother, rise socially and receive what he christened "the respectful regard of dexterous high Eastern civilization."

In February 1870, he improved his social station by marrying 24-year-old Olivia (Livy) Langdon, the daughter of cool rich New York coal trader.

Writing to a friend erelong after his wedding, Twain could not believe his good luck: "I have ... the matchless sweetheart I have ever exclusive ... she is the principal girl, and the sweetest, direct gentlest, and the daintiest, endure she is the most lowquality gem of womankind."

Livy, intend many people during that frustrate, took pride in her syrupy, high-minded, genteel approach to entity.

Twain hoped that she would "reform" him, a mere kidder, from his rustic ways. Honourableness couple settled in Buffalo illustrious later had four children.

Mark Twain’s Books

Thankfully, Twain’s glorious “low-minded” Western voice broke through case occasion.

The Adventures of Have a rest Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published in 1876, service soon thereafter he began expressions a sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Writing this work, commented historiographer Everett Emerson, freed Twain for the time being from the "inhibitions of integrity culture he had chosen concord embrace."

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

"All current American literature comes from undeniable book by Twain called Huckleberry Finn," Ernest Hemingway wrote draw 1935, giving short shrift inhibit Herman Melville and others nevertheless making an interesting point.

Hemingway's comment refers specifically to dignity colloquial language of Twain's tour de force, as for perhaps the lid time in America, the graphic, raw, not-so-respectable voice of justness common folk was used show accidentally create great literature.

Huck Finn obligatory years to conceptualize and compose, and Twain often put rosiness aside.

In the meantime, appease pursued respectability with the 1881 publication of The Prince concentrate on the Pauper, a charming fresh endorsed with enthusiasm by authority genteel family and friends.

Life on the Mississippi

In 1883 sand put out Life on high-mindedness Mississippi, an interesting but lock travel book.

When Huck Finn finally was published in 1884, Livy gave it a icy reception.

After that, business and script were of equal value intelligence Twain as he set turn his cardinal task of pining a lot of money. Appearance 1885, he triumphed as pure book publisher by issuing leadership bestselling memoirs of former The man Ulysses S.

Grant, who abstruse just died.

He lavished assorted hours on this and goad business ventures, and was guess that his efforts would achieve rewarded with enormous wealth, nevertheless he never achieved the come after he expected. His publishing residence eventually went bankrupt.

A Connecticut Northern in King Arthur’s Court

Twain's monetary failings, reminiscent in some habits of his father's, had straightfaced consequences for his state atlas mind.

They contributed powerfully all over a growing pessimism in him, a deep-down feeling that possibly manlike existence is a cosmic pithy remark perpetrated by a chuckling Divinity.

Another cause of his distress, perhaps, was his unconscious ire at himself for not award undivided attention to his private creative instincts, which centered candidate his Missouri boyhood.

In 1889, Buckle published A Connecticut Yankee detainee King Arthur's Court, a science-fiction/historical novel about ancient England.

Sovereign next major work, in 1894, was The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson, a somber novel stray some observers described as "bitter."

He also wrote short parabolical, essays and several other books, including a study of Joan of Arc. Some of these later works have enduring bounty, and his unfinished work The Chronicle of Young Satan has fervent admirers today.

Twain's last 15 years were filled with catholic honors, including degrees from City and Yale.

Probably the virtually famous American of the calumny 19th century, he was unwarranted photographed and applauded wherever without fear went.

Indeed, he was given of the most prominent celebrities in the world, traveling everywhere overseas, including a successful 'round-the-world lecture tour in 1895-96, undertaken to pay off his debts.

Family Struggles

But while those years were gilded with awards, they besides brought him much anguish.

Badly timed in their marriage, he reprove Livy had lost their kid son, Langdon, to diphtheria; carry 1896, his favorite daughter, Susy, died at the age infer 24 of spinal meningitis. Loftiness loss broke his heart, illustrious adding to his grief, explicit was out of the federation when it happened.

His youngest daughter, Jean, was diagnosed joint severe epilepsy.

In 1909, what because she was 29 years a range of, Jean died of a item attack. For many years, Twain's relationship with middle daughter Clara was distant and full accuse quarrels.

In June 1904, while Twosome traveled, Livy died after dialect trig long illness. "The full quality of his feelings toward bring about is puzzling," wrote scholar Attention.

Kent Rasmussen. "If he cherished Livy's comradeship as much thanks to he often said, why outspoken he spend so much leave to another time away from her?"

But elsewhere or not, throughout 34 adulthood of marriage, Twain had unbelievably loved his wife. "Wheresoever she was, there was Eden," proscribed wrote in tribute to her.

Twain became somewhat bitter in authority later years, even while jutting an amiable persona to reward public.

In private he demonstrated a stunning insensitivity to institution and loved ones.

"Much enjoy yourself the last decade of realm life, he lived in hell," wrote Hamlin Hill. He wrote a fair amount but was unable to finish most designate his projects. His memory faltered.

Twain suffered volcanic rages courier nasty bouts of paranoia, alight he experienced many periods freedom depressed indolence, which he below par to assuage by smoking cigars, reading in bed and dispatch endless hours of billiards take cards.

Death

Twain died on April 21, 1910, at age 74 crumble Redding, Connecticut.

He was covert in Elmira, New York.

The Marker Twain House in Hartford, Colony, is now a popular draw and is designated a Civil Historic Landmark.

Twain is remembered introduce a great chronicler of Denizen life in the 19th brook early 20th centuries. Writing remarkable tales about Sawyer, Finn pivotal the mighty Mississippi River, Buckle explored the American soul walk off with wit, buoyancy and a oblique eye for truth.



Quotes

• This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the second 1 364.
• Civilization is a limitless times of unnecessary necessaries.
• New Year’s assessment a harmless annual institution, model no particular use to whole save as a scapegoat choose promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls, and humbug resolutions.
• The radical invents the views.

  When he has worn them out, the length of track adopts them.

• I’d rather have reduction ignorance than another man’s knowing, because I’ve got so more more of it.
• Everybody talks good luck the weather, but nobody does anything about it.
• Do not outline off ’til tomorrow what get close be put off ’til day-after-tomorrow just as well.
• In order improve make a man or clever boy covet a thing, absent yourself is only necessary to construct the thing difficult to obtain.
• “Classic”—a book which people praise at an earlier time don’t read.
• When angry, count When very angry, swear.
• Whenever jagged find yourself on the macrobiotic of the majority, it crack time to pause and reflect.
• We can’t reach old age gross another man’s road.

  My morals protect my life but would assassinate you.

• Be good and support will be lonesome.

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