Samuel Langhorne Clemens
- Born:
- November 30, 1835, Florida, Missouri, USA
- Died:
- April 21, 1910, Redding, Connecticut, USA
- Nationality:
- American
- Profession(s):
- Author, Humorist, Essayist, Publisher, Lecturer
- Pen Name:
- Mark Twain
Early Life and Education
- Born the sixth of seven children to John Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton Clemens.
- Family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, when he was four.
- Father died when Clemens was 11; he left school to become a printer's apprentice.
- Worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to his brother Orion's newspaper.
- Briefly worked as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River, an experience that profoundly influenced his writing.
Career and Major Achievements
- Began using the pen name "Mark Twain" in 1863 while working as a reporter in Virginia City, Nevada.
- Achieved widespread recognition for his humor and storytelling.
- Traveled extensively and lectured around the world.
- Founded his own publishing house, Charles L. Webster and Company.
- Navigated significant financial difficulties due to business ventures.
Notable Works
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
- The Prince and the Pauper (1881)
- Life on the Mississippi (1883)
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)
- Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894)
- The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894)
Legacy and Impact
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, is considered one of the greatest American writers. His works are celebrated for their humor, social commentary, and authentic portrayal of American life, particularly life along the Mississippi River. The subject of many literary analyses, from analyses of what "mark twain biography youtube duchesses" might uncover about modern audiences' interest, to analyses of the novels themselves, his works continue to be widely read and studied.