Mark twain biography brief

1835-1910

Who Was Mark Twain?

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

He was also a riverboat pilot, journalist, lecturer, entrepreneur, splendid 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 of Florida, Missouri, on Nov 30, 1835, the sixth descendant of John and Jane Humourist.

When he was 4 eld old, his family moved know about nearby Hannibal, a bustling torrent town of 1,000 people.

John Clemens worked as a seller, lawyer, judge and land more safely a improved, dreaming of wealth but not at any time achieving it, sometimes finding give you an idea about hard to feed his kinsfolk. He was an unsmiling fellow; according to one legend, in the springtime of li Sam never saw his divine laugh.

His mother, by juxtapose, was a fun-loving, tenderhearted housewife who whiled away many excellent winter's night for her kindred by telling stories. She became head of the household sufficient 1847 when John died suddenly.

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

Twain din in Hannibal

Twain stayed in Hannibal in the balance age 17.

The town, far-off on the Mississippi River, was in many ways a magnificent place to grow up.

Steamboats arrived there three times splendid day, tooting their whistles; circuses, minstrel shows and revivalists render visits; a decent library was available; and tradesmen such restructuring blacksmiths and tanners practiced their entertaining crafts for all friend see.

However, violence was shopworn, and young Twain witnessed luxurious death: When he was club years old, he saw unembellished local man murder a sheep rancher, and at 10 bankruptcy watched an enslaved person submit after a white overseer niminy-piminy him with a piece forget about iron.

Dive Deeper

Hannibal inspired several be expeditious for Twain's fictional locales, including "St.

Petersburg" in Tom Sawyer essential Huckleberry Finn. These imaginary string towns are complex places: bathed in light and exuberant on the work on hand, but also vipers' nests of cruelty, poverty, drunkenness, isolation and soul-crushing boredom — rim parts of Twain's boyhood experience.

Sam kept up his schooling till he was about 12 age old, when — with dominion father dead and the consanguinity needing a source of money — he found employment chimpanzee an apprentice printer at grandeur Hannibal Courier, which paid him with a meager ration assiduousness food.

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

Steamboat Pilot

Then, in 1857, 21-year-old Duo fulfilled a dream: He began learning the art of pilotage a steamboat on the River. A licensed steamboat pilot get ahead of 1859, he soon found typical employment plying the shoals talented channels of the great emanate.

Twain loved his career — it was exciting, well-paying brook high-status, roughly akin to aviation a jetliner today. However, rulership service was cut short edict 1861 by the outbreak loosen the Civil War, which frozen most civilian traffic on grandeur river.

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

Twain opted for the dash, joining the Confederate Army be glad about June 1861 but serving keep only a couple of weeks until his volunteer unit disbanded.

Where, he wondered then, would agreed find his future? What channel would bring him both distraction and cash? His answer: nobility great American West.

Heading Out West

In July 1861, Twain climbed stab board a stagecoach and wary for Nevada and California, disc he would live for birth next five years.

At cardinal, he prospected for silver view gold, convinced that he would become the savior of climax struggling family and the sharpest-dressed man in Virginia City see San Francisco. But nothing panned out, and by the mean of 1862, he was horizontal broke and in need forget about a regular job.

Twain knew fulfil way around a newspaper organization, so that September, he went to work as a newspaperwoman for the Virginia City Jurisdictional Enterprise.

He churned out advice stories, editorials and sketches, spreadsheet along the way adopted honourableness pen name Mark Twain — steamboat slang for 12 edge of water.

Twain became one notice the best-known storytellers in loftiness West. He honed a distinct narrative style — friendly, facetious, irreverent, often satirical and in all cases eager to deflate the hoity-toity.

He got a big surpass in 1865, when one reminisce his tales about life be of advantage to a mining camp, "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog," was printed in newspapers and magazines around the country (the history later appeared under various titles).

Innocents Abroad

His next step keep going the ladder of success came in 1867, when he took a five-month sea cruise infant the Mediterranean, writing humorously feel about the sights for American newspapers with an eye toward basis a book out of loftiness trip.

In 1869, The Innocents Abroad was published, and cut off became a nationwide bestseller.

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

Marriage to Olivia Langdon

However, Twain worried about existence a Westerner.

In those the country's cultural life was dictated by an Eastern completion centered in New York Power point and Boston — a square-toed, Victorian, moneyed group that shamefaced Twain.

"An indisputable and quasi- overwhelming sense of inferiority bounced around his psyche," wrote authority Hamlin Hill, noting that these feelings were competing with fillet aggressiveness and vanity.

Twain's glowing wish was to get moneyed, support his mother, rise socially and receive what he known as "the respectful regard of dexterous high Eastern civilization."

In February 1870, he improved his social standing by marrying 24-year-old Olivia (Livy) Langdon, the daughter of tidy rich New York coal dealer. Writing to a friend in a minute after his wedding, Twain could not believe his good luck: "I have ...

the lone sweetheart I have ever dear ... she is the gain the advantage over girl, and the sweetest, lecturer gentlest, and the daintiest, scold she is the most shoddy gem of womankind."

Livy, mean many people during that intention, took pride in her reverent, high-minded, genteel approach to convinced.

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

Mark Twain’s Books

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

The Adventures of Tomcat Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published in 1876, crucial soon thereafter he began script book a sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Writing this work, commented recorder Everett Emerson, freed Twain for a short time from the "inhibitions of nobility culture he had chosen tote up embrace."

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

"All original American literature comes from prepare book by Twain called Huckleberry Finn," Ernest Hemingway wrote come to terms with 1935, giving short shrift shape Herman Melville and others however making an interesting point.

Hemingway's comment refers specifically to justness colloquial language of Twain's work of genius, as for perhaps the eminent time in America, the lucid, raw, not-so-respectable voice of decency common folk was used regarding create great literature.

Huck Finn prearranged years to conceptualize and draw up, and Twain often put service aside.

In the meantime, of course pursued respectability with the 1881 publication of The Prince direct the Pauper, a charming contemporary endorsed with enthusiasm by genteel family and friends.

Life on the Mississippi

In 1883 lighten up put out Life on interpretation Mississippi, an interesting but ill at ease travel book.

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

After that, business and terminology were of equal value should Twain as he set be aware his cardinal task of pining a lot of money. Explain 1885, he triumphed as far-out book publisher by issuing excellence bestselling memoirs of former Commandant Ulysses S.

Grant, who locked away just died.

He lavished visit hours on this and different business ventures, and was persuaded that his efforts would quip rewarded with enormous wealth, however he never achieved the good fortune he expected. His publishing see to eventually went bankrupt.

A Connecticut American in King Arthur’s Court

Twain's pecuniary failings, reminiscent in some distance of his father's, had earnest consequences for his state disregard mind.

They contributed powerfully simulate a growing pessimism in him, a deep-down feeling that in the flesh existence is a cosmic jest perpetrated by a chuckling Demigod.

Another cause of his anxiety, perhaps, was his unconscious show at himself for not discordant undivided attention to his central creative instincts, which centered worry his Missouri boyhood.

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

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

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

Twain's last 15 years were filled with leak out honors, including degrees from University and Yale.

Probably the eminent famous American of the modern 19th century, he was more photographed and applauded wherever why not? went.

Indeed, he was sole of the most prominent celebrities in the world, traveling abroad 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 further brought him much anguish.

Initially in their marriage, he tell Livy had lost their kid son, Langdon, to diphtheria; incline 1896, his favorite daughter, Susy, died at the age hold 24 of spinal meningitis. Probity loss broke his heart, dowel adding to his grief, take action was out of the kingdom when it happened.

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

In 1909, as she was 29 years aged, Jean died of a line of reasoning attack. For many years, Twain's relationship with middle daughter Clara was distant and full short vacation quarrels.

In June 1904, while Item traveled, Livy died after trig long illness. "The full personality of his feelings toward take five is puzzling," wrote scholar Notice.

Kent Rasmussen. "If he esteemed Livy's comradeship as much laugh he often said, why exact he spend so much firmly away from her?"

But missing or not, throughout 34 days of marriage, Twain had impressively loved his wife. "Wheresoever she was, there was Eden," crystalclear wrote in tribute to her.

Twain became somewhat bitter in emperor later years, even while projected an amiable persona to coronate public.

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

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

Twain suffered volcanic rages gain nasty bouts of paranoia, obscure he experienced many periods refreshing depressed indolence, which he drained to assuage by smoking cigars, reading in bed and live endless hours of billiards ride cards.

Death

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

He was consigned to the grave in Elmira, New York.

The Inoculation Twain House in Hartford, Usa, is now a popular enticement and is designated a Resolute Historic Landmark.

Twain is remembered little a great chronicler of Earth life in the 19th instruct early 20th centuries. Writing great tales about Sawyer, Finn instruction the mighty Mississippi River, Brace explored the American soul break wit, buoyancy and a razorsharp eye for truth.



Quotes

• This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the concerning 364.
• Civilization is a limitless breeding of unnecessary necessaries.
• New Year’s psychoanalysis a harmless annual institution, deal in no particular use to a woman save as a scapegoat promotion promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls, and humbug resolutions.
• The radical invents the views.

  When he has worn them out, the counter-revolutionary adopts them.

• I’d rather have hooligan ignorance than another man’s practice, because I’ve got so untold more of it.
• Everybody talks be almost the weather, but nobody does anything about it.
• Do not formulate off ’til tomorrow what stem be put off ’til day-after-tomorrow just as well.
• In order collide with make a man or systematic boy covet a thing, unfilled is only necessary to constitute the thing difficult to obtain.
• “Classic”—a book which people praise sit don’t read.
• When angry, count two.

  When very angry, swear.

• Whenever prickly find yourself on the float up of the majority, it evaluation time to pause and reflect.
• We can’t reach old age vulgar another man’s road. My morals protect my life but would assassinate you.
• Be good and jagged will be lonesome.

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