Early in their marriage, he and Livy had lost their toddler son, Langdon, to diphtheria; in 1896, his favorite daughter, Susy, died at the age of 24 of spinal meningitis. Mark Twain died on April 21, 1910. DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S MARK TWAIN FACT CARD. He was buried in Elmira, New York. His publishing house eventually went bankrupt. A short biography of Mark Twain, author of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, written in easy-to-read English for younger readers. Hemingway's comment refers specifically to the colloquial language of Twain's masterpiece, as for perhaps the first time in America, the vivid, raw, not-so-respectable voice of the common folk was used to create great literature. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. His youngest daughter, Jean, was diagnosed with severe epilepsy. In 1869, The Innocents Abroad was published, and it became a nationwide bestseller. Sam kept up his schooling until he was about 12 years old, when — with his father dead and the family needing a source of income — he found employment as an apprentice printer at the Hannibal Courier, which paid him with a meager ration of food. Death from disease during this time was common. A Cure For The Blues. Among those companions was Tom Blankenship, an affable but impoverished boy whom Twain later identified as the model for the character Huckleberry Finn. - Mark Twain Biography and List of Works - Mark Twain Books John Clemens opened a store and eventually became a justice of the peace, which entitled him to be called “Judge” but not to a great deal more. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mark-Twain, The State Historical Society of Missouri - Biography of Samuel L. Clemens, Mark Twain - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Mark Twain - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court”, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches”. In this magisterial full-scale biography of America’s greatest storyteller and satirist, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Fred Kaplan refashions our image of Mark Twain and etches a vibrant portrait of a singular personality who created some of the … Professor Emeritus of English, University of Missouri, Columbia. In the meantime, he pursued respectability with the 1881 publication of The Prince and the Pauper, a charming novel endorsed with enthusiasm by his genteel family and friends. His next major work, in 1894, was The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson, a somber novel that some observers described as "bitter.". He was the sixth of seven children born to John Clemens, a lawyer, and his wife Jane, although three of Samuel’s siblings died in childhood. Mark Twain Biography Growing Up. Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835, in the frontier village of Florida, Missouri. Indeed, he was one of the most prominent celebrities in the world, traveling widely overseas, including a successful 'round-the-world lecture tour in 1895-96, undertaken to pay off his debts. Samuel Clemens (later better known by his pen name Mark Twain) was born in Florida, Missouri in 1835 to the son of a Tennessee country merchant. In 1839 his family moved to the Mississippi port town of Hannibal in search of greater economic opportunities. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Twain stayed in Hannibal until age 17. But absent or not, throughout 34 years of marriage, Twain had indeed loved his wife. In 1885, he triumphed as a book publisher by issuing the bestselling memoirs of former President Ulysses S. Grant, who had just died. However, in many ways the childhood of Samuel Clemens was a rough one. Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in the town of Florida, Missouri, in 1835. In 1847 Clemens’s father died of pneumonia. My parents removed to Missouri in the early ’thir Even before that year, however, continuing debts had forced them to auction off property, to sell their only slave, Jennie, to take in boarders, even to sell their furniture. In 1883 he put out Life on the Mississippi, an interesting but safe travel book. His mother, by contrast, was a fun-loving, tenderhearted homemaker who whiled away many a winter's night for her family by telling stories. This was an old term used by pilots to show how deep the water is where they throw the lead. Mark Twain is the pen name of Samuel Clemens. Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in the tiny village of Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835, the sixth child of John and Jane Clemens. A Humane Word From Satan. He is called the father of American Literature by William Faulkner. A Burlesque Biography. The family was having a tough time since their breadwinner had died which made Mark take on the leading role in the family and got a job as a printer. Television star Mark Harmon has been on long-running shows such as St. You are likely familiar with the name but you might be wondering “who was MarkTwain?” It was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a famous American writer, humorist, lecturer, and journalist. In 1848 Mark Twain became a printer’s apprentice for the Missouri Courier. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Biography. A Letter To The Secretary Of The Treasury. Twain knew his way around a newspaper office, so that September, he went to work as a reporter for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise. When he was eight, a measles epidemic (potentially lethal in those days) was so frightening to him that he deliberately exposed himself to infection by climbing into bed with his friend Will Bowen in order to relieve the anxiety. https://www.biography.com/writer/mark-twain. After the death of his father, Sam Clemens worked at several odd jobs in town, and in 1848 he became a printer’s apprentice for Joseph P. Ament’s Missouri Courier. Perhaps it was a sign of the infant's rise to literary fame. As the Civil War began, the people of Missouri angrily split between support for the Union and the Confederate States. He started his career as a typesetter at a newspaper, worked as a printer, a riverboat pilot, and then turned to gold mining. However, violence was commonplace, and young Twain witnessed much death: When he was nine years old, he saw a local man murder a cattle rancher, and at 10 he watched an enslaved person die after a white overseer struck him with a piece of iron. Learn more about his biography, writing style, and major works. Today he is best remembered as the author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). In June 1904, while Twain traveled, Livy died after a long illness. Mark Felt was an Associate Director at the FBI who became a secret informant and broke the Watergate story to reporters while disguised as "Deep Throat.". The town, situated on the Mississippi River, was in many ways a splendid place to grow up. Mark Twain was an American humorist, novelist, and travel writer. Mark Twain (November 30th, 1835) grew up in Florida, MS in a family of Jane and John Clements beside many brothers and sisters. In those years, the country's cultural life was dictated by an Eastern establishment centered in New York City and Boston — a straight-laced, Victorian, moneyed group that cowed Twain. He lived sparingly in the Ament household but was allowed to continue his schooling and, from time to time, indulge in boyish amusements. There were local diversions as well—fishing, picnicking, and swimming. But nothing panned out, and by the middle of 1862, he was flat broke and in need of a regular job. Nevertheless, by the time Clemens was 13, his boyhood had effectively come to an end. Mark Twain: Background for His Works A short preview for a biography of Twain's early life. Writing this work, commented biographer Everett Emerson, freed Twain temporarily from the "inhibitions of the culture he had chosen to embrace.". Mark Twain Tribute Photos of Twain set to music. Mark Twain (a.k.a., Samuel Longhorne Clemens) was born in the little town of Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835, shortly after his family had moved there from Tennessee. Mark Twain short biography. "Wheresoever she was, there was Eden," he wrote in tribute to her. M ark Twain himself was Twain’s first successful work of fiction. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. He wrote 28 books and numerous short stories, letters and sketches. Some of these later works have enduring merit, and his unfinished work The Chronicle of Young Satan has fervent admirers today. But while those years were gilded with awards, they also brought him much anguish. When he … Our Stores Are Open Book Annex Membership Educators Gift Cards Stores & Events Help Auto Suggestions are available once you type at least 3 letters. In July 1861, Twain climbed on board a stagecoach and headed for Nevada and California, where he would live for the next five years. Huck Finn required years to conceptualize and write, and Twain often put it aside. Hannibal inspired several of Twain's fictional locales, including "St. Petersburg" in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter often called “The Great American Novel”. These events would find a way into his short stories and books‚ particularly Roughing It. Biography takes you deep into the life of the great Mark Twain Twain opted for the latter, joining the Confederate Army in June 1861 but serving for only a couple of weeks until his volunteer unit disbanded. Mark Twain was an American author known for his sharp wit and social commentary. Twain hoped that she would "reform" him, a mere humorist, from his rustic ways. Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri. An actor reads his words. Childhood along the Mississippi. His brother Pleasant Han… Twain became somewhat bitter in his later years, even while projecting an amiable persona to his public. Clemens was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, the town that inspired the setting in some of his most popular works such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. “Afraid I wouldn’t live?” “No,” she said, “afraid you would.”. He was an unsmiling fellow; according to one legend, young Sam never saw his father laugh. One evening in 1844 Clemens discovered a corpse in his father’s office; it was the body of a California emigrant who had been stabbed in a quarrel and was placed there for the inquest. Mark Twain, pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, (born November 30, 1835, Florida, Missouri, U.S.—died April 21, 1910, Redding, Connecticut), American humorist, journalist, lecturer, and novelist who acquired international fame for his travel narratives, especially The Innocents Abroad (1869), Roughing It (1872), and Life on the Mississippi (1883), and for his adventure stories of … Working at a printing house and part-time delivering parcels, … He worked briefly as a typesetter in St. Louis in 1853 before traveling to New York City to work at a large printing shop. Steamboats arrived there three times a day, tooting their whistles; circuses, minstrel shows and revivalists paid visits; a decent library was available; and tradesmen such as blacksmiths and tanners practiced their entertaining crafts for all to see. Mark Twain passed away on April 21, 1910, but has a following still today. "All modern American literature comes from one book by Twain called Huckleberry Finn," Ernest Hemingway wrote in 1935, giving short shrift to Herman Melville and others but making an interesting point. When Huck Finn finally was published in 1884, Livy gave it a chilly reception. Insofar as Clemens could be said to have inherited his sense of humour, it would have come from his mother, not his father. Mark Twain. In the summers, Clemens visited his uncle John Quarles’s farm, near Florida, Missouri, where he played with his cousins and listened to stories told by the slave Uncle Daniel, who served, in part, as a model for Jim in Huckleberry Finn. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twai n (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910) was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. In 1851, at 15, he got a job as a printer and occasional writer and editor at the Hannibal Western Union, a little newspaper owned by his brother, Orion. Twain's last 15 years were filled with public honors, including degrees from Oxford and Yale. After failing as a silver prospector‚ Sam began writing for the Territorial Enterprise‚ a Virginia City‚ Nevada newspaper where he used‚ for the first time‚ his pen name‚ Mark Twain. Twain was brought up in Hannibal, Missouri, a town on the great Mississippi River. As it turned out, Tom Blankenship’s older brother Bence had been secretly taking food to the runaway slave for some weeks before the slave was apparently discovered and killed. Twain also wrote numerous short stories, most notably “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” (1865). By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The gamblers, stevedores, and pilots, the boisterous raftsmen and elegant travelers, all bound for somewhere surely glamorous and exciting, would have impressed a young boy and stimulated his already active imagination. At 34, this handsome, red-haired, affable, canny, egocentric and ambitious journalist and traveler had become one of the most popular and famous writers in America. © 2020 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. Missouri was a slave state, and, though the young Clemens had been reassured that chattel slavery was an institution approved by God, he nevertheless carried with him memories of cruelty and sadness that he would reflect upon in his maturity. A Short Biography of Mark Twain. Occasionally, he contributed sketches and articles to the Journal. Thankfully, Twain's glorious "low-minded" Western voice broke through on occasion. Twain is widely considered one of the greatest American writers of all time. Omissions? Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) is best known as the Roman general who was a lover of Cleopatra. However, Twain worried about being a Westerner. John Clemens’s death contributed further to the family’s financial instability. Updates? The Adventures of Mark Twain The sixth child of John Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton, Twain lived in Florida, Missouri until the age of four, at which time his family relocated to the town of Hannibal in hopes of improving … Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri and would later use that location as the setting for two of his most famous works, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! A gifted raconteur, distinctive humorist, and irascible moralist, he transcended the apparent limitations of his origins to become a popular public figure and one of America’s best and most beloved writers. Samuel Clemens, the sixth child of John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens, was born two months prematurely and was in relatively poor health for the first 10 years of his life. Young Samuel grew up in the small town of Hannibal, Missouri with his sister and two brothers. His most famous novels included The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), which are loosely based on Twain’s boyhood experiences in Missouri. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. His next step up the ladder of success came in 1867, when he took a five-month sea cruise in the Mediterranean, writing humorously about the sights for American newspapers with an eye toward getting a book out of the trip. His parents met when his father moved to Missouri. Twain suffered volcanic rages and nasty bouts of paranoia, and he experienced many periods of depressed indolence, which he tried to assuage by smoking cigars, reading in bed and playing endless hours of billiards and cards. Judging from his own speculative ventures in silver mining, business, and publishing, it was a curse that Sam Clemens never quite outgrew. His sister Margaret died of a fever when Clemens was not yet four years old; three years later his brother Benjamin died. Although the exact origins of the name are unknown, it is worth noting that Clemens operated riverboats, and mark twain is a nautical term for water found to be two fathoms (12 feet [3.7 metres]) deep: mark (measure) twain (two). Mark Twain - short biography and literary slide show. Christened as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the man who would call himself Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835 in the small river town of Florida, Missouri, just 200 miles from Indian Territory. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published in 1876, and soon thereafter he began writing a sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain loved his career — it was exciting, well-paying and high-status, roughly akin to flying a jetliner today. John Clemens worked as a storekeeper, lawyer, judge and land speculator, dreaming of wealth but never achieving it, sometimes finding it hard to feed his family. He spent his boyhood in nearby Hannibal, on the banks of the Mississippi River, observing its busy life, fascinated by its romance, but chilled by the violence and bloodshed it bred. Actor Hal Holbrook answers questions in the persona of Mark Twain. He churned out news stories, editorials and sketches, and along the way adopted the pen name Mark Twain — steamboat slang for 12 feet of water. A Short Biography of Mark Twain Mark Twain was born Samuel Clemens in 1835 in Florida, Missouri, USA. She became head of the household in 1847 when John died unexpectedly. The last piece of writing he did, evidently, was the short humorous sketch “Etiquette for the Afterlife: Advice to Paine.” The sketch was published posthumously in 1995. "If he treasured Livy's comradeship as much as he often said, why did he spend so much time away from her?". Three years later his elder brother, Orion, bought the Hannibal Journal, and Twain began working for him as a typesetter. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). p C H A P T E R 1 I was born the 30 th of n ovember, 1835, in the almost invisible village of Florida, Missouri. Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri, USA, to Jane (née Lampton) and John Marshall Clemens.