Mark Twain: Biography

Samuel Langhorne Clemens better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was a famous and popular American humorist, novelist, writer and lecturer.
•born in Florida, Missouri, the third of four surviving children of John and Jane Clemens. The young Clemens spent his childhood in the Mississippi River town of Hannibal, Missouri, which provided him with much material for his books.
•Before he became an acknowledged humorist, he had worked as a printer and then as a riverboat pilot. During the Civil War, he served as a volunteer soldier for some time and then he undertook a journey across the frontier.
•His humorous sketches and tales were an immediate success. For many years he has huge success also as a lecturer and professional humorist. He traveled a lot and delivered humorous lectures in many parts of the world.
•1898- he finished paying off his debts, but his writings show that the strain of pessimism he formerly repressed was then dominating his mind.
•He lost 3 out of 4 of his children, and his beloved wife, Olivia Langdon, before his death in 1910. He also had some very bad times with his businesses. His publishing company ended up going bankrupt, and he lost thousands of dollars
His works

THE CELEBRATED JUMPING FROG won him immediate recognition. His experiences from tours, travels and vagabond journeys gave him rich material for his travel books. He increased his popularity with letters and lectures about his trip to the Sandwich Islands.
THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER and THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN are based upon his experiences in Hannibal. They have become part not merely of the literature but of the very folklore of childhood. This work is a mature realization in America’s literature of a conflict between the assumptions of democracy and the limitations of democracy. Huck, like Natty Bumppo, must get away from the civilization if he is to save himself. Many burning problems of the day are treated in the novel- slavery, civilization, freedom…
PRINCE AND THE PAUPER
A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING AURTHUR´S COURT
THE INNOCENTS ABROAD
ROUGHING IT
A TRAMP ABROAD
LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI

In travel books, Clemens digresses from factual narrative to humorous exaggeration and burlesque. The novels are episodic or autobiographical, and they are not formed by any larger structural concepts. But he taught two continents to laugh. By his amazing humor he gained world-wide popularity.