He even predicted that he would ‘go out’ with it. Twain was born not long after the appearance of Halley’s Comet. Though his memory faltered, he continued to write, but not finishing his last projects. He would suffer from paranoia and nasty rages. In 1904, Mark Twain lost his wife, Livy, while he was away traveling. His children Langdon, Susy, and Jean all died, leaving him grief-stricken for a long time. Despite his fame and the success of his later works ( The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, among others), he encountered his fair share of struggles, personally and financially. They had four children: Langdon, Susy, Clara, and Jean. In 1870, he married ‘his only sweetheart’, Olivia (Livy) Langdon. What else could 35-year-old red-haired and ambitious Mark Twain wish for? More wealth, fame – and a bride. But Mark Twain’s luck completely turned around in 1865, when one of this stories entitled ‘Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog’ ( available in other titles) was published in newspapers and magazines around the country. Related 17 Inspiring Quotes from Children's Books (With a Positive Message) Mark Twain: Later Works and StrugglesĮventually, his unique – and often satirical – narrative style made him one of the best storytellers in the West. It was during this time that he adopted the pen name Mark Twain, which is steamboat slang that means ‘ 12 feet of water’. When nothing came of it, in 1862, he became a reporter for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise. At age 15, he became a printer and occasional writer and editor at the Hannibal Western Union.Īt 26, he headed West to seek his fortune. This paved the way for an apprenticeship at the Hannibal Courier. When his father died, Sam Clemens, then 12, had to help augment the family income. Petersburg’ in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. It is said that Hannibal was Sam’s inspiration for the fictional place of ‘ St. Inasmuch as it was a busy town, it was also a place where Sam saw crime at a young age. By this time, Sam Clemens was already living in the small town of Hannibal: a quaint town near the Mississippi River.Īlthough small, Hannibal was always bustling thanks to steamboats that arrived three times a day, tradesmen that practiced their craft in public, and many visiting minstrels and circuses. It was a monumental task that drove the family to ‘ near destitute’ conditions. When he died in 1847, Jane had to be both mother and head of the household.
It was said that his father, John Clemens, was a rather unsmiling fellow, with big dreams of wealth for his family ( that never came to fruition).
The 6 th child of John and Jane Clemens, he grew up to stories from his tender and kind-hearted mother. Mark Twain lived a life filled of adventure: much like the characters in his works.
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