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
Early Life and Education
- Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Florida, Missouri, the sixth of seven children.
- Moved to Hannibal, Missouri, in 1839, which served as inspiration for many of his stories.
- Apprenticed to a printer at age 12 after his father's death.
- Worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to his brother Orion's newspaper.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River, a profession he held until the Civil War disrupted river traffic.
- Adopted the pen name "Mark Twain" in 1863 while working as a reporter in Nevada.
- Achieved widespread recognition with "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (1865).
- Embarked on a successful lecture tour, both domestically and internationally.
- Founded the publishing firm Charles L. Webster and Company, which published Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs.
Notable Works
- The Innocents Abroad (1869)
- Roughing It (1872)
- 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)
Legacy and Impact
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, is considered one of America's greatest writers. His works are celebrated for their humor, social commentary, and use of vernacular language. The study of the biography of mark twain pptp, essays and other materials related to his life often reveals his insightful observations of American society and culture, which continue to resonate with readers today.