Mark Twain
Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri, was an American author, humorist, and social critic. Twain is best known for his novels "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1876) and its sequel, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1884), which has been called "The Great American Novel."
In his early years, Twain worked as a printer's apprentice and later as a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River, where he adopted his pen name, "Mark Twain," a riverboat term meaning "two fathoms deep." In the 1860s, Twain began his career as a writer, publishing humorous sketches, travelogues, and short stories in various newspapers and magazines. His first major success came with the publication of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," a humorous short story that earned him national recognition.
Twain's unique writing style, marked by satire, colloquialism, and keen observation of the human condition, made him one of the most celebrated authors of his time. He was also known for his wit and his critical views on politics, organized religion, and social issues. In addition to his fiction, Twain wrote several non-fiction works, including "Life on the Mississippi" (1883), "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1889), and "The Innocents Abroad" (1869).
Mark Twain's personal life was marked by both success and tragedy. He married Olivia Langdon in 1870, and they had four children, three of whom died before Twain. Later in life, he faced financial difficulties and the death of his wife, which led to a darker tone in some of his later works.
Twain continued writing and lecturing until his death on April 21, 1910, in Redding, Connecticut. Today, his legacy endures as one of America's most celebrated literary figures, and his works remain widely read and admired for their humor, insight, and timeless relevance.