November 30, 1835- April 21, 1910
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, is considered the "greatest humorist in American literature" and most of his works included novels, travel narratives, short stories, sketches, and essays. Some of his famous writings are:
1. The Gilded Age (1873)
2. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
3. A Tramp Abroad (1880)
4. The Prince and the Pauper (1882)
5. Life on the Mississippi (1883)
6. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885-U.S.)
7. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)
Mark Twain was born in Florida, Missouri in 1835. Since his father's death in 1847, Twain and his family moved to Hannibal Missouri where he first worked in a newspaper and printing firm, the Hannibal Journal. In this newspaper, Twain contributed reports, poems, and numerous sketches. Because Twain had little formal education, most of what he learned came from print shops, newspaper offices, and public libraries.
In 1857, Twain started down the Mississippi River and made the decision to became a licensed riverboat pilot instead of traveling to South America. Due to the American Civil War (1861-1865) that was occuring, all commercial traffic was closed on the Mississippi River and Twain spent two weeks with a Confederate Volunteer Company. After this experience, Twain decided not to be involved in war and first began publishing under his pen name, Mark Twain which is a riverboat term meaning "two fathoms", in 1863 while working for the Enterprise.
It was then on February 2, 1870 that Mark Twain married Olivia L. Langdon while living and working in Buffalo, New York. Shortly afterwards in 1871, Twain and his wife moved to Hartford, Connecticut where they had their four children: Langdon, Susy, Clara, and Jean. However, in 1872, Langdon died and two years later, the family moved to a luxurious huge house in Hartford.
Twain opened up his own publishing firm in the 1880s and was involved in several investments. However, between 1881 and 1894, Twain lost $200,000 causing him to declare bankruptcy in April 1894. Ultimately, in January 1895, Twain found that he was facing financial issues due to the inability to pay his debts. Fortunately, because of his continued writing and lectures, he was able to recover from his financial problems by 1898. But tradegy struck in his personal life when in 1896, his eldest daughter died from meningitis and in 1904, his wife, Olivia, died from a heart condition. To make matters worse, his other daughter, Jean, died in 1909.
Everybody noticed a huge change in Mark Twain's writings when they switched from humorous and cocky to gloomy and tragic. The Mysterious Stranger (published 1916), is a pessimistic tale written by Twain that expresses the gloominess he began incorporating in numerous later works. Mark Twain died as a result of heart disease on April 21, 1910, leaving behind numerous unpublished manuscripts.
1. The Gilded Age (1873)
2. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
3. A Tramp Abroad (1880)
4. The Prince and the Pauper (1882)
5. Life on the Mississippi (1883)
6. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885-U.S.)
7. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)
Mark Twain was born in Florida, Missouri in 1835. Since his father's death in 1847, Twain and his family moved to Hannibal Missouri where he first worked in a newspaper and printing firm, the Hannibal Journal. In this newspaper, Twain contributed reports, poems, and numerous sketches. Because Twain had little formal education, most of what he learned came from print shops, newspaper offices, and public libraries.
In 1857, Twain started down the Mississippi River and made the decision to became a licensed riverboat pilot instead of traveling to South America. Due to the American Civil War (1861-1865) that was occuring, all commercial traffic was closed on the Mississippi River and Twain spent two weeks with a Confederate Volunteer Company. After this experience, Twain decided not to be involved in war and first began publishing under his pen name, Mark Twain which is a riverboat term meaning "two fathoms", in 1863 while working for the Enterprise.
It was then on February 2, 1870 that Mark Twain married Olivia L. Langdon while living and working in Buffalo, New York. Shortly afterwards in 1871, Twain and his wife moved to Hartford, Connecticut where they had their four children: Langdon, Susy, Clara, and Jean. However, in 1872, Langdon died and two years later, the family moved to a luxurious huge house in Hartford.
Twain opened up his own publishing firm in the 1880s and was involved in several investments. However, between 1881 and 1894, Twain lost $200,000 causing him to declare bankruptcy in April 1894. Ultimately, in January 1895, Twain found that he was facing financial issues due to the inability to pay his debts. Fortunately, because of his continued writing and lectures, he was able to recover from his financial problems by 1898. But tradegy struck in his personal life when in 1896, his eldest daughter died from meningitis and in 1904, his wife, Olivia, died from a heart condition. To make matters worse, his other daughter, Jean, died in 1909.
Everybody noticed a huge change in Mark Twain's writings when they switched from humorous and cocky to gloomy and tragic. The Mysterious Stranger (published 1916), is a pessimistic tale written by Twain that expresses the gloominess he began incorporating in numerous later works. Mark Twain died as a result of heart disease on April 21, 1910, leaving behind numerous unpublished manuscripts.