Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910), [1] better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, writer, and lecturer. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (among other works), and his numerous quotes and sayings. [2][3] He was the best known author in the United States, the most popular stand-up comedian and monologist, and simultaneously the friend of presidents, artists, leading industrialists, and even European royalty. Mark Twains the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an example of the Great American Novel. [4] He enjoyed immense public popularity and his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. American author William Faulkner later called Twain the father of American literature.

[5] Mark Twain was born in Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835, to Tennessee country merchant, John Marshall Clemens (August 11, 1798 - March 24, 1847), and Jane Lampton Clemens (June 18, 1803 - October 27, 1890). [6] Twain was the sixth of John and Janes seven children. He had three older brothers and two older sisters, though only two of these survived childhood, his brother Orion Clemens (July 17, 1825 - December 11, 1897 and sister Pamela (September 19, 1827 - August 31, 1904). His sister Margaret (May 31, 1830 - August 17, 1839) died when Twain was only four years old and his brother Benjamin (June 8, 1832 - May 12, 1842) died three years later. Another older brother, Pleasant (1828 - 1829), only lived three months before Twain was born. In addition to his older siblings, Twain had one younger brother, Henry Clemens (July 13, 1838 - June 21, 1858). [7] When Twain was four, his family moved to Hannibal, [8] a port town on the Mississippi River that would serve as the inspiration for the fictional town of St. Petersburg in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. [9] At that time, Missouri was a slave state in the union and young Twain was familiar with the institution of slavery, a theme he later explored in his writing.

Twain was colorblind, a condition that fueled his witty banter in the social circles of the day. [citation needed] In March of 1847 when Twain was eleven, his father died of pneumonia. [citation needed] He had a meager education. The following year, Twain became a printers apprentice and in 1851 began working as a typesetter and contributor of articles and humorous sketches for the Hannibal Journal, a newspaper owned by his older brother, Orion. When he was eighteen, he left Hannibal and worked as a printer in New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. When he was 22 years old, Twain returned to Missouri. On a voyage to New Orleans down the Mississippi, the steamboat pilot, Bixby, inspired Twain to pursue a career as a steamboat pilot, the third highest paying profession in America at the time earning $250 per month ($155, 000 today), a princely amount. ...