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| | | | | Mark Twain: Quotes, Biography, Poems, Books and AudioBooks |
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Mark Twain was the pseudonym (pen-name) for Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), was an American humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is also known for his quotations. During his lifetime, Twain became a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists and European royalty. He often used his stories and humor to point out inequities in the society around him.
Classic Mark Twain
Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The Mark Twain's classic tale recounts the adventures of the ever resourceful Tom Sawyer and his friend Huckleberry Finn in the little town of St Petersburg, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi. A story of robbers, graveyards at midnight, buried treasure, and a deep and mysterious cave, 'Tom Sawyer' has lost none of its power to enthral and delight since it was first published in 1876. Generations of readers have enjoyed the ingenuous triumphs and feckless mishaps of boyhood days on the Mississippi. This classic of American wit and storytelling introduced Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, Aunt Polly, the Widow Douglas, and many other characters to the world; including, of course, the boy who was cordially hated and dreaded by all the mothers of the town, because he was idle and lawless and vulgar and bad - and because all their children admired him so much: Huckleberry Finn.
Collected Stories
Seventeen humorous stories, including The Jumping Frog of Calavarous County, Story of Old Ram, Buck Fanshaw's Funneral, Tom Quartz, What Stumped the Blue Jays, and Journalism in Tennessee.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
The magical and romantic legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table Is one of the great stories of the world. The most famous version - Le Morte d'Arthur by the 15th century writer Sir Thomas Malory, which told of Arthur, Excalibur, Merlin, Sir Launcelot, Guinevere, Sir Gawain, the search for the Holy Grail and the final battle between the King and Mordred - is full of excitement, heroism and mystery. Like most of his generation, Mark Twain, the great 19th century comic American writer, knew and loved the book. He wrote mainly about his own time - and his greatest successes such as Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer drew on the Mississippi countryside where he grew up. But he also had a wicked sense of humour, and he wanted to show that Malory's picture of brave knights and rescued damsels was not as shiny or honourable we may like to think. From the moment the idea came to him, to whisk a modern man (modern=1880s for Twain) back in time to the heyday of Camelot, he couldn't resist elaborating on the realities of life In Arthurian times. His Connecticut hero. Hank Morgan, found not a land of grace and ideals but one which was smelly, dangerous, uncomfortable and backward. Hank finds that life is regarded as cheap, that torture and execution are commonplace, that superstition is everywhere and even Merlin is a con-man. Few wash, the music is terrible, living in armour is horrendous and deception is everywhere. So Hank decides that he will make the best of his situation and introduce 6th century England to some of the improvements of his contemporary (19th century) existence - advertising, soap, newspapers, stocks and shares, and the railroad. And, with his superior knowledge, he will become The Boss. How do the people of an older time take to it? In much the same way Twain suggests, as we would if someone from the distant future came down and tried to make us live their way: The older people generally do not like giving up their traditional ways, even though there were very clear advantages and only the youth can adapt. Yet despite this, Hank cannot but admire some qualities of those knights and their damsels - not least the ability to stand up and fight in steel armour that would crush the contemporary man. The novel began mainly as a delightful fantasy, but as Twain wrote, the darker side of his own character and view of the human race emerged. He believed in science, economics and practicalities; and government based on the equalities of opportunity that characterised America of Twain's day He couldn't accept a people who would choose monarchy. A Connecticut Yankee shows what can happen when these two very different societies come together.
Joan of Arc
"I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best." revealed one time the author. "Twain's understanding of history and Joan's place in it accounts for his regarding his book Joan of Arc as worth all of his other books together."Edward Wagonknecht, author of Mark Twain: The Man and His Work Very few people know that Mark Twain wrote a major work on Joan of Arc. Still fewer know that he considered it not only his most important, but also his best work. He spent twelve years in research and many months in France doing archival work, and then made several attempts until he felt he finally had the story he wanted to tell. He reached his conclusion about Joan's unique place in history only after studying in detail accounts written by both sides: the French, for whom she raised an army to return the Dauphin to the throne, and the English, who fought the French in the Hundred Year's War and were ultimately Joan's executioners. This is a fascinating and remarkably accurate biography of the life and mission of Joan of Arc told by one of this country's greatest storytellers.
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