Biography

Mark Twain. Photograph. World Book Online. World Book. Web. 3 Mar. 2010.


Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, one of the greatest authors of American fiction. Twain is also thought to be the greatest humorist in American literature. Twain's different works include novels, short stories, sketches, and essays. His writings about the Mississippi River, such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Life on the Mississippi, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, have been especially popular among modern readers. This talented writer was born on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri. In 1839 the Twain family moved to Hannibal Missouri, a village on the Mississippi River. Mark enjoyed the steamboats coming and going bringing famous people like singers, comedians, and gamblers. After his father died in debt in 1847 Twain went to work for a newspaper and printing firm. In 1851, he began supporting his older brother Orion in the production of a newspaper, the Hannibal Journal. Twain contributed reports, poems, and humorous sketches to the Journal for several years. Like many American authors of his day Twain had little formal education. Instead of attending high school and college, he gained his education in print shops and newspaper offices. In 1853, Twain left Hannibal for travel that he would experience throughout his life. He stayed briefly in cities such as St. Louis, New York City, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati, working for low wages in print shops. He then traveled to Keokuk, Iowa, to assist his brother with more printing business. In 1857, Twain made plans to travel to South America, and in April of that year, he started down the Mississippi River toward New Orleans. At this point, he made a decision with important consequences for his life and career. Instead of traveling to South America, he persuaded a riverboat pilot named Horace Bixby to teoach him the skills of piloting. By April 1859, Twain had become a licensed riverboat pilot. The talent if being a riverboat pilot paid well and gave Mark Twain lots of attention which he loved. His experience allowed him to see many kinds of people who traveled on his boat. . The beginning of the American Civil War (1861-1865) closed commercial traffic on the Mississippi River. After serving for two weeks with a Confederate volunteer company, Twain chose not to become involved in the war. He traveled to Carson City, Nevada, in 1861 with his brother Orion. Later, in “Roughing It” (1872), Twain humorously described his unsuccessful attempts searching for gold and silver. Twain next traveled westward to California, where he wrote for the San Francisco Morning Call and a literary journal, the Californian. On Nov. 18, 1865, his first popular story about "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" that appeared in the New York Saturday Press. In 1867, Twain took a voyage to Europe and the Holy Land aboard the steamship Quaker City. His travel letters to the San Francisco Alta California and the New York Tribune were collected in a popular book, The Innocents Abroad (1869). Twain met a young woman from Elmira, New York, named Olivia L. Langdon, whose brother had sailed with him on the Quaker City. The couple got married on Feb. 2, 1870. Following Twain's brief career as a newspaper editor and columnist in Buffalo, New York, he and his wife moved to Hartford, Connecticut, in 1871. Their infant son, Langdon, died in 1872, but three daughters, Susy, Clara, and Jean, were born between 1872 and 1880. In the 1880's, Mark Twain established and operated his own publishing firm. He also became interested in various investments. He lost almost $200,000 in investments in the machine between 1881 and 1894. Also, his publishing company declared bankruptcy in April 1894. Thus, in January 1895, Twain found himself publicly humiliated by his inability to pay his debts. Twain eventually recovered from his financial difficulties, through his continued writing and a successful lecture tour in 1895 and 1896. During this much publicized tour, Twain lectured in such places as India, South Africa, and Australia. By the time he returned, he had become an international hero. Twain enjoyed this attention, and his habits of smoking cigars or a pipe and wearing unconventional white suits contributed to his showy image. Twain died of heart disease on April 21, 1910. He left behind numerous unpublished manuscripts, including his large but incomplete autobiography. Gribben, Alan. "Twain, Mark." World Book Student. World Book, 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2010.