Mark Twain

American author and humorist (1835–1910)

18 quotes in the MindQuotes library.

About

Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Florida, Missouri, he grew up in Hannibal, on the Mississippi. After his father's death, he left school at 12 and became a printer's apprentice. He was a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi (1857–1861), from which he took his pen name, meaning 'two fathoms' (safe water). He gained fame with 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County' (1865). Settled in Hartford, he wrote his major works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, considered his masterpiece. Ruined by bad investments, he recovered through lecture tours. An anti-imperialist, he campaigned against war. He died the day after Halley's Comet returned, as he had predicted.

* 1835-11-28 — † 1910-04-21

Major works

  • The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (1865)short story
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)novel
  • The Prince and the Pauper (1881)novel
  • Life on the Mississippi (1883)memoir
  • Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885)novel

Key milestones

  • 1857Becomes a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi, an experience that inspires his pen name.
  • 1874Moves into his Hartford home, where he writes his major works.
  • 1901Publishes 'To the Person Sitting in Darkness', a critique of imperialism.

Themes

Childhood and adolescenceLife on the MississippiSocial satireMoral hypocrisyAnti-imperialism

Sources: lib.berkeley.edu · marktwainhouse.org