AKA Samuel Clemens

Basic Facts Born April 30, 1835 in Florida, MS Samuel Langhorne Clemens Adopted Mark Twain as a pen name later in life Died April 21, 1910 in Redding, CT

Growing up in Mississippi Grew up in Hannibal, MS Fascinated by life on the Mississippi River Father died when he was 11 Began to work to support his family Apprenticed with printers Wrote his first piece at 17 Comic sketch “The Dandy Frightening the Squatter” Published by a sportsman’s mag in Boston

Career 1853 – began wandering as a journeyman printer St. Louis Chicago New York Philadelphia Set out to make his fortune at 22 on the Amazon River Not so much – ended up a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi At Civil War outbreak, he left

Moving Westward… 1861 – Travels to Nevada Recklessly invested in timber and silver Temper got him into trouble… so did his writing Adopted the pen name Mark Twain to get out of trouble Water that is just safe enough for navigation 1865 – “The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” won him national recognition

Traveling Correspondent 1865 – Sacramento Union commissioned him Trip to Hawaii Letters from the Sandwich Islands Letters from Honolulu 1866 – Alta California traveling correspondent – circled globe, writing letters 1870 – Marries Olivia Langdon Lives in upstate NY, editor/owner of Buffalo Express

Married Life Moves to Hartford, CT Lives there for 20 years Three daughters Prosperity as writer/lecturer Two trips to England 1872 – Roughing It published Recounts his stories in Nevada Reprinted some Sandwich letters

Atlantic Monthly Published some of his steamboating experiences Expanded to Life on the Mississippi in 1883 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer had been in 1875 but… The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) was widely popular… and banned

Tom Sawyer Better organized than Huck Tom & Huck witness a murder in a graveyard Pretend to be dead to capture murderer Turn up at their own funeral Collect reward Celebrates innocence and boyish adventure

Huckleberry Finn Huck fakes his own death to escape his life Jim, a runaway slave, joins him Huck is quick to deceive and VERY good at it Tales of misadventure Celebration of life on the Mississippi “All literature begins with this book” – Ernest Hemingway A book about children… but is it a children’s book?

Twain’s twilight years… Increasingly bitter writings Moreso after his wife’s death in 1905 Began to dictate his autobiography in 1906 Explicit instructions on when/how to publish Died on April 21, 1910