Mark Twain: One of America's Best Known and Best Loved WritersMark Twain wrote "The Advent

Mark Twain: One of America's Best Known and Best Loved Writers

Mark Twain wrote "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in 1884. Since then, the book has been published in at least 60 languages. Some people say it is the best book ever created by an American writer. American students still read this book. And parents, teachers and literary experts still debate the issues discussed in the book.

The writer who became Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835. He grew up in Hannibal, Missouri on the Mississippi River. After his father died in 1847, young Samuel went to work as an assistant to a publisher. 10 years later, he became a pilot on a steamboat that sailed on the Mississippi. He heard the riverboat workers call out the words "mark twain !" that was a measure for the depth of water.

In 1861, the American Civil War put an end to steamboat traffic on the Mississippi. So Clemens traveled west and became a reporter for newspapers in Nevada and California.

Began to Write

Later, he wrote funny stories and called himself Mark Twain. Twain became famous for his story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" in 1865. It tells about a jumping competition among frogs.

Twain also traveled a lot and began writing books about his travels. His stories about a trip to Europe and the Middle East were published in "The Innocents Abroad." And his stories about life in the western United States became the book called "Roughing It."

In 1870, he married Olivia Langdon and moved to Hartford, Connecticut. During the 1880's, he wrote books for children, such as "The Prince and the Pauper." It tells about a poor boy who trades identities with a member of England's ruling family. Twain also wrote "Life on the Mississippi." This book describes his days as a steamboat pilot and his return to the river 20 years later.

A Successful Writer and Speaker

Mark Twain was already a successful writer before he became famous as a public speaker. Over the years, he had invested a lot of money in unsuccessful businesses. In 1893, he found himself deeply in debt. So to earn money, he traveled around the world giving humorous talks. His speeches made people laugh and remember events they had experienced.

However, his later life was not a happy one. Two of his daughters died. His wife died in 1904 after a long sickness. Some critics think Mark Twain's later works were more serious because of his sadness. He died of heart failure in 1910.

Mark Twain was the first writer to use the speech of common Americans in his books. He showed that simple American English could be as fine an instrument for great writing as more complex language. Through his books, he captured American experiences as no other writer had.

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn

Many of the stories take place in Hannibal, Missouri. The small wooden house where he lived as a boy still stands there. Next to the house is a wooden fence. It is the kind described in Twain's book, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," published in 1876.

In that story, Tom bas been told to paint the fence. He does not want to do it. But he acts as if the job is great fun. He tricks other boys into believing this. His trick is so successful that they agree to pay him money to let them finish his work. "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is considered one of the best books about an American boy's life in the 1800s.

Tom Sawyer's good friend is Huckleberry, or "Huck," Finn. Mark Twain tells this boy's story in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Huck is a poor child, without a mother or home. His father drinks too much alcohol and beats him.

Huck's situation bas freed him from the restrictions of society. He explores in the woods and goes fishing. He stays out all night and does not go to school. He smokes tobacco.

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