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Mark Twain was a laugh rioter who
was curiously deep because you didn't realize it while you
laughed at the antics and thoughts of Tom Sawyer and
Huckleberry Finn.
Who hasn't enjoyed the antics of Tom Sawyer and
Huckleberry Finn? The creator of these famous characters
was Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens to John
Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton, in Florida, Missouri.
Mark Twain spent much of his childhood in Hannibal, a
small town in Missouri with about five hundred residents.
However, it gains importance since it was the richest
source of inspiration and information for Twain's literary
works.
The residents ranged from slaves, poor whites and 'quality
folks', as Huckleberry Finn called them. Its floating
population comprised farmers, travelers, circus members
and other people with widely varying backgrounds. Mark
Twain made good use of the 'raw material' provided to him
by destiny. |
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Mark Twain was not fortunate enough to receive a good
grounding in academics. He abruptly ended his schooling
when his father died in 1847 and he had to shoulder the
responsibility of adding to the family's coffers. He
became a printer's apprentice. Not one to lose any
opportunity that came his way, he read' and 'learnt' the
secret of writing when typesetting and by reading regular
printed matter when time permitted. Doesn't this add a
large dose of admiration and romance to his writings?
Mark Twain made a foray into the world of writing courtesy
his brother's newspaper, for which he penned skits. His
job as printer took him to several places.
However, it was life on the river that beckoned him and
Mark Twain, abandoning his secret idea of moving to South
America, decided to become a pilot's apprentice. He
procured his license and served as a pilot, until the
Civil War (1861) disrupted river traffic. However, he
continued his affair with the pen and continued writing
skits for newspapers. Soon he traveled to Nevada, along
with his brother Orion who had to take up a political
appointment.
Mark Twain's success story began here. In the year 1869,
he partly purchased the newspaper Buffalo Express and
became its editor. He also took up editorial
responsibilities in the magazine, Galaxy.
His personal life too took brighter hues and he married
Olivia Langdon of Elmira, New York in 1870. However, he
soon moved base to Hartford, cutting off his ties with
both the Buffalo and the Galaxy. Here he concentrated on
writing full time, supplementing it with lectures. It was
one of the most productive years of his life. Works like
Roughing It (1872), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876),
The Prince and the Pauper (1882), Life on the Mississippi
(1883) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)
brought him fame and money.
As it happened, Twain lived lavishly and made unwise
investments and in 1894, he became bankrupt. The
never-say-die persona once again rose to the fore in him.
A lecture round the globe and two books later, he had
repaid all his debts.
However, his emotions took a dip with the death of his
daughter in 1896 and his wife in 1904. The optimist in him
gave way to a pessimist, that no one thought was inside
him. His feelings found expression in The Mysterious
Stranger, published in 1906. It was written soon after the
death of his daughter.
Literary success continued to come his way, with both
Oxford and Yale presenting him with honorary degrees. Many
of his works are celebrated for the native humor in them.
In fact, Mark Twain must have been one of the first
writers to use the way a child speaks and thinks to write
many entertaining and insightful books. That is why he was
also a very modern writer - the true American writer.
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