Mark Twain years of life. Brief biography of Mark Twain

Mark Twain is an American writer, journalist and public figure. His work is full of sharp humor and satire, but he wrote many works in the genre of journalism and philosophical fiction.

Dozens of fictional and animated films, and his “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is known all over the world.

So, in front of you short biography Mark Twain.

Biography of Twain

Mark Twain (real name Samuel Langhorne Clemens) was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida (Missouri).

On his birthday, Halley's Comet flew over the Earth. An interesting fact is that on the day of the writer’s death, the same comet will sweep over the Earth again.

Mark Twain's father, John Marshall, was a judge, and his mother, Jane Lampton, was a housewife. However, despite the father’s seemingly good position, the family experienced serious financial difficulties.

In this regard, the Clemens family decided to move to the shipping city of Hannibal. It was this small town with its attractions that left many pleasant and warm memories in the memory of the future writer, playing an important role in Twain’s biography.

Childhood and youth

When Twain was 12 years old, his father died of pneumonia, leaving behind many debts. For this reason, the children had to leave school and go to work.

Soon, Twain's older brother began publishing a newspaper. As a result, Mark began working there as a typesetter. It was then that the young man began to sometimes write his own articles.

At the age of 18, Twain went on a trip to the cities of America.

During this period of his biography, he developed a special interest in. He for a long time spends in libraries reading different genres.

Over time, Mark Twain becomes a pilot on the ship. In his own words, he really liked this profession, which required attentiveness and knowledge of the fairway.

However, when it began in 1861 Civil War, private shipping declined. As a result, the guy had to look for another job.

Creative biography of Twain

Over time, Mark Twain goes to the Wild West to mine precious metals. Despite the fact that the mines did not make him rich, during this period of his biography he managed to compose several witty stories.

In 1863, the writer signed his books for the first time with the pseudonym Mark Twain, taken from shipping practice. In the future, he will publish all his works only under this name, and it is with this name that he will go down in the history of world literature.

The debut work in Twain's biography was “The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras.” This humorous story gained great popularity throughout America.

After this, Twain began to actively engage in writing. He was offered cooperation by many reputable publications, who wanted them to publish the works of the rising literary star.

Soon Mark discovers his gift as a speaker, and therefore he begins to speak frequently in different halls in front of large audiences. During this period of his biography, he meets his future wife Olivia, who was the sister of his friend.

Twain's works

At the peak of his popularity, Mark Twain wrote several books in the genre of realism, which received many positive feedback from critics.

In 1876, the famous story “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” came out from his pen, which brought him even greater popularity. Interestingly, it contained many autobiographical episodes from the author’s life.

After this, a new one is published historical novel Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper." In America, the book was a stunning success. Later this work will translate, thanks to which Soviet citizens will be able to appreciate this wonderful novel.

In the mid-1880s, Mark Twain opened his own publishing house, in which he published the novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” He later published the best-selling book “Memoirs,” which he dedicated to American President Ulysses S. Grant.

Twain's printing house existed for about 10 years until it went completely bankrupt due to the economic crisis that began in the United States.

It is worth noting that Twain’s last works, although they were quite popular, were no longer as successful as the first.

At this time, the writer’s biography saw the peak of fame and recognition: he was awarded doctoral degrees at various American universities and was honored in every possible way.

Friends of Mark Twain

Mark Twain was very interested. He had friendly relations with a famous inventor. Together with him, he could spend a long time in the laboratory, observing the research of the “Lightning Lord”.

Another close friend of Twain was oil tycoon Henry Rogers. It is interesting that by nature Henry was a very stingy person. However, after a long conversation with the writer, he changed dramatically.

The tycoon helped Mark Twain get rid of financial difficulties, and also began donating substantial sums of money to charity. Moreover, many of his donations became known only after Rogers’ death.

Death

IN last decade In his life, Mark Twain had to experience many tragedies associated with his family. He survived the death of three children and his wife Olivia, whom he loved very much.

Perhaps this is why during this period of his biography he finally lost faith in God and began to promote atheism. This was especially noticeable in the works “ A mysterious stranger" and "Letter from the Earth", published after the death of the classic.

Samuel Clemens, known to the world as Mark Twain, died on April 21, 1910 at the age of 74.

The official cause of his death was angina. The writer was buried in New York State at Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira.

Photo of Twain

Below you can see the few photos of Mark Twain that exist at all.

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Mark Twain (real name Samuel Langhorne Clemens) was born on November 30, 1835 in a large family of John Marshall and Jane. Until he was four years old he lived in small town Florida, Missouri. Then he and his family moved to another small town in Missouri - Hannibal. It was this that Twain later immortalized on the pages of his works.

When the future writer turned 12 years old, his father died. He left his family a large amount of debt. Twain had to get a job. He was hired as a typesetter's apprentice at the Missouri Courier newspaper. Soon Mark Twain's older brother, Orion, began publishing his own newspaper. It was originally called Western Union. Then it was renamed the Hannibal Journal. Mark Twain tried to help his brother, acting as a typesetter and periodically as an author.

From 1853 to 1857, Twain traveled throughout the United States. Among the places he visited are Washington, Cincinnati, and New York. In 1857, Twain was preparing to go to South America, but instead became an apprentice to a pilot. Two years later he was issued a pilot's certificate. Twain admitted that he could devote his whole life to this profession. His plans were interfered with by the civil war, which began in 1861 and put an end to private shipping.

For two weeks, Twain fought on the side of the southerners. From 1861 to 1864 he lived in the Nevada Territory, where, among other things, he worked in the silver mines for several months. In 1865, he again decided to try his luck as a prospector. Only this time I started looking for gold in California. Twain's debut collection, The Famous Jumping Frog and Other Sketches, was published in 1867. From June to October, the writer traveled to European cities, including visiting Russia. In addition, he visited Palestine. The resulting impressions formed the basis of the book “Simps Abroad,” published in 1869 and enjoying enormous success.

In 1873, Twain traveled to England, where he took part in public readings held in London. He managed to meet many famous writers. Among them is the outstanding Russian writer I. S. Turgenev. In 1876, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was first published, which later became one of the most popular works Twain. The book tells about the adventures of an orphan boy living in the fictional town of St. Petersburg and raised by his aunt. In 1879, Twain traveled with his family to European cities. During the trip, he met with I. S. Turgenev, the English naturalist and traveler Charles Darwin.

In the 1880s, the novels “The Prince and the Pauper,” “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” and the collection “The Rape of the White Elephant” and other stories were published. In 1884, Twain's own publishing house, Charles Webster and Company, opened. In the late 1880s and early 1890s, the writer's financial situation became worse and worse. The publishing house went bankrupt - Twain spent a significant amount on purchasing a new model of printing press. As a result, it was never put into production. An important role in Twain’s life was played by his acquaintance in 1893 with oil magnate Henry Rogers. Rogers helped the writer escape financial ruin. At the same time, friendship with Twain had a significant impact on the character of the tycoon - from a curmudgeon who was not very worried about the problems of outsiders, he turned into a person actively involved in charity.

In 1906, Twain met in the United States with the writer Maxim Gorky, after which he publicly called for support for the Russian Revolution. Mark Twain died on April 21, 1910, the cause of death was angina pectoris. The writer was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, located in Elmira, New York.

Brief analysis of creativity

Twain's writing began after the Civil War, which ended in 1865 and had a huge impact on both social and literary life USA. He was a representative of the democratic trend in American literature. His works combined realism with romanticism. Twain was the heir to the American Romantic Writers XIX century and at the same time their ardent opponent. In particular, at the very beginning of his career, he composed poisonous parodies in verse about Longfellow, the author of “The Song of Hiawatha.”

Twain's early works, including “Simps Abroad,” which ridicules old Europe, and “Lightly,” which talks about the New World, are filled with humor and cheerful fun. Creative path Twain - the path from humor to bitter irony. At the very beginning, the writer created unpretentious humorous couplets. His later creativity- essays on human morals, filled with subtle irony, sharp satire criticizing American society and politicians, philosophical reflections on the fate of civilization. The most important novel Twain - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The book was published in 1884. Hemingway called it the most significant work of Mark Twain and all previous US literature.

All the works of the famous American prose writer Mark Twain are so popular and realistic because the author himself experienced many adventures in his life. The real name of the writer is Samuel Langhorne Clemens. The prose writer was born in autumn time, on the day when Comet Galileo passed over our planet. By an incredible coincidence, the comet's repeated flight over the earth occurred exactly on the day of the writer's death.

The childhood of the incredible Mark Twain

The novelist was born in 1835. His birthday was in November. Despite the fact that the boy's father, John Clemens, worked as a judge, the family experienced serious financial difficulties. Due to debts, the Clemens were forced to leave Missouri. The family moved to the city of Hannibal near the Mississippi River. It was with this place that Sam's warmest childhood memories were associated.

Human, known to the world like Mark Twain, born at 2 months ahead of schedule. Until the age of seven, the boy was sick a lot. In total, there were 7 children in the Clemens family, Samuel became the 6th child for his parents.

When the boy was 12 years old, his father died. John died of pneumonia, leaving his family without a penny for the future. All the children in the family dropped out of school and started working to help their relatives feed themselves. Sam's older brother Orion at that time became the owner of the printing house. Sam got a job as a typist for him.

IN at a young age the future writer had already tried himself as a pamphleteer and prose writer. Some of his articles found a good response from readers.

The writer's early years

At the age of eighteen, Sam Clemens decided to travel across America. During the trip, the young man visited the best library halls of the most major cities. The book depositories of New York helped him fill the gaps in his education. So the young man managed to get the position of assistant on the ship. Clemens enjoyed working on the Mississippi River. He would have remained an assistant pilot, but in 1861 the Civil War began. Sam fought on the side of the Confederates. After some time, he went to the Wild West. The young man was not able to earn much money in the gold mines, but it was there, in the Wild West, that his main talent for writing stories was discovered.

In 1863, the writer came up with the pseudonym Mark Twain. The nickname was born from his shipping practice. In the Wild West, Clemens wrote the first humorous story. His work about the jumping frog became known throughout the United States.

The writer's family once had one slave, but Sam himself did not support the ideology of slavery. The writer went to war to support his own southern roots.

For a couple of years, Mark Twain could not find an editorial office where he would be comfortable working. During this period, Twain began speaking to audiences as a storyteller. Moving a lot, he began to paint in the style of realism. It is these works that this style brought Twain fame and made him one of the main classics of the States in the 19th century.

In the seventies, Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. This is partly autobiographical work was created based on the childhood of the writer himself. Then the works “The Prince and the Pauper”, “A Connecticut Yankee”, as well as the legendary “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” were born. In the eighties, Clemens created another work that became a bestseller. The book was called "Memoirs". It was dedicated to United States President Grant. In adulthood, Samuel Clemens was awarded doctorates in literature and philosophy, which greatly flattered the prose writer who had not even graduated from school.

Personal life of Mark Twain

ABOUT personal life Little is known about Clemens. According to historical data, in 1870, Sam married Olivia Langdon, the sister of his friend. Behind life together The writer had four children. The first-born died in infancy, two daughters died before reaching the age of thirty.

More than anything else, Mark Twain loved teaching his daughters to play billiards. Despite the fact that huge sums of money were paid for Mark Twain’s novels, the writer eventually went bankrupt. Since he did not know how to invest money in investment projects.

One day Twain was asked to invest money in the development of a telephone. The prose writer only laughed at such a proposal, but then regretted it when Graham Bell finally created a telephone.

For my long life Clemens not only wrote, worked as a reporter, and also performed on stage, he also invented useful things for the home. Few people know that it was Mark Twain who invented simple sticky notes for notepads.

In 1891, Twain decided to move to Europe to reduce costs. He also believed that in Europe they would be able to improve his wife’s failing health. To avoid complete bankruptcy and pay off debts, Mark Twain repeatedly went on world tours with his performances. The writer managed to pay off his debts, but he was unable to get rich again.

Twain's wife died in 1904. Following her, as a result of the tragedy, the writer’s daughters passed away. Because of this, he developed a terrible depression. For months he sat at home, did not go out, did not communicate with people. The only thing Twain did was create new works. The new items were filled with pain and pessimism. That's probably why last works Twain did not receive much fame.

Writer's social life

It is believed that Clemens was friends with Nikola Tesla. The large age difference did not in any way prevent the men from communicating on a variety of topics. Sam helped Tesla with physics experiments. Often, Clemens made fun of his friend, until one day he joked back.

When Samuel Clemens began to age, Nikola Tesla jokingly offered him a new remedy for rejuvenation. Sam believed his friend and drank the medicine. After some time, the writer found himself in the toilet with severe abdominal pain.

Twain wrote the biography of President Grant because men also a long period were friends.

Clemens then struck up a friendship with financier Henry Rogers. The banker was known as a miser, but his friendship with the writer transformed him. After for long years communication Rogers not only became a philanthropist and philanthropist, but also opened funds to support young talents. Henry Rogers, thanks to Twain's influence, organized jobs for people with disabilities.

Recent years and decline of creativity

The writers' dying works were "The Mysterious Stranger" and "Letter from Earth." At the end of his life, having suffered enormous personal losses, Mark Twain finally became established in his own religiosity. IN latest works The author describes with a great deal of sarcasm the views of atheists on life. Samuel Clemens died due to angina pectoris. Another attack ended his life greatest writer America in the spring of 1910.

Twain died in Redding, Connecticut. His last works were published only a year after the funeral of the prose writer. Because Mark Twain was bankrupt, he did not leave a will, or great fortune. There were a lot of people at the writer's funeral.

The only daughter who survived her father, Clara, got married and gave birth to a girl. Twain's granddaughter's name was Nina Gabrilovich, but, unfortunately, the woman did not have any children of her own, and the direct line of the Clemens ended with her death.

Features of the prose writer's creativity

In his stories, Samuel Clemens managed to talk to the reader about serious things in simple and understandable language. Twain has no superficial works; all his works have an obvious or hidden meaning, capable of changing shades with the change of generations. This is most likely why the writer remains one of the most beloved children's authors today.

First-person narration, deliberate simplification, humanism and respect for others, mixed with sparkling humor, run through many of the prose writer’s works.

Humor for Twain was the most powerful weapon moral impact on the minds and hearts of the younger generation. The writer's first works owe their popularity to humor. Subsequently, Twain began to weave notes of realism into his stories and novels, which displaced humor from the pedestal of his works. For example, the adventures of Huckleberry Finn are written more straightforwardly than the story of Tom Sawyer.

Depressive chords can be traced in the latest works of the master of realism. At the end of his life, Mark Twain experienced a series of severe shocks, which left an imprint on his work. The topic of religiosity no longer seems so funny and hypocritical to the author; in his dying novels, Twain talks seriously about God and Satan, covering up fundamental issues with interesting plot twists. The author discusses life after death, the value of the human soul and human relationships with the Divine. The books “A Deal with Satan” and “Eve’s Diary” are filled not with realism, but with mysticism. Perhaps such drastic changes in creative style The writer was promoted by his membership in the ranks of the Freemasons.

Biography of the great American writer itself is like an adventure novel. What else can you say about such outstanding personality? Here's what you need to know about Mark Twain:

• While working on the ship, Mark got his younger brother Henry a job there. During one of the voyages a terrible tragedy occurred. The heating boiler on the ship exploded. Twain's brother Henry died;
• Beloved literary character Twain was Sherlock Holmes;
• Among hundreds of stories and many novels, Mark wrote the only play, “Dead or Alive”;
• It is known that the writer was very fond of cats. He kept them in the house, several at a time, and came up with nicknames for them with his invariable humor. So at one time Twain’s cats were called Chatterbox, Beelzebub and Zoroaster;
• Clemens signed his works under different pseudonyms. In addition to Twain, he wrote stories signed by Rambler and Sergeant Phantom;
• Mark Twain was a gifted lecturer. Several of his lectures were attended by Sigmund Freud;
• At the age of 26, Mark Twain joined the Masonic lodge;
• Twain visited Russia several times. He visited Livadia and Sevastopol;
• The writer's main passions were smoking and playing billiards;
• Many of Twain's lectures were not published because they touched on very sensitive topics;
• In the city of Volgograd there is a street named after the prose writer;
• Huckleberry Finn is a character copied by the writer from a real boy with whom he happened to be friends in childhood;
• In the 20th century, the Huckleberry Finn novel was excluded from school literature USA. The Department of Education considered this story racist;
• For some time, the writer was so rich that he could afford a car for 200 thousand dollars. For comparison, we can give the figures on which the average family lived at the time of the prose writer - this is 1.2 thousand dollars a year.

Mark Twain was a unique person. Without a completed school education, he conquered the whole world with his novels, forever entering American literature as greatest author 19th century.

Twain was a very cheerful person. He highly valued great jokes and subtle humor, not allowing life's adversities to break him. Mark Twain easily got along with people, changing them for the better with his communication. He was a versatile personality, interested not only in literature, but also in engineering, and loved to travel.

The only thing that was beyond Twain’s control was saving and increasing money. Almost all of his projects in the financial sector failed; the writer did not have an entrepreneurial spirit. But he filled the halls for his lectures and was a brilliant storyteller. Twain chose very unexpected topics for speeches. For example, once, a prose writer gave a lecture on the topic of how he stole the first watermelon, his monologue was then noted loud applause. Amazing man, born on the day of the Comet, and left with her, as if he were a gift from above, which heaven gave to people only for a while.

The article is devoted to a short biography of Mark Twain, a writer from the United States who became famous primarily for his works about Tom Sawyer.

Biography of Twain: the development of a writer

Mark Twain (S. Clemens) was born in 1835 in a small village in Florida. Soon the family moved to the city of Hannibal, with which Twain’s childhood memories are associated, reflected in the image hometown T. Sawyer. Since childhood, the future writer was a frequent visitor to the library. In 1859, after training, he worked for some time as a pilot on the Mississippi.
In 1861, Twain moved to Nevada. For some time he worked in silver mines. Having placed several articles in one of the newspapers, the future writer was invited to become a permanent employee. Twain's publications were originally similar to works of art. In them he described with humor ordinary life American province.
Since 1864, the writer lived in San Francisco, where he also worked as a correspondent. In 1872, Twain published an autobiography, “The Tempered,” and some time later, a collection of short stories. In 1875, a book was published that made the writer famous throughout the world - “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” The wild popularity of the work prompted Twain to publish The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The writer, on the wave of success, tried to write a continuation of the story about the two main characters, but these works were no longer used great success.
The adventures of two boys are not only exciting reading for children, full of humorous incidents and dangers. In the adventures of G. Finn, Twain masterfully depicted the life of an ordinary American province with its measured life, with its joys and disappointments. The image of the runaway black man Jim, personifying the entire depravity of the slave system, is extremely important. The author does not speak out directly against slavery, but does so through the boy’s feelings and experiences. Huck's journey with Jim brings them into equal social status. The reader sees that the runaway slave is the same person, treating Huck even better than “normal” white people. Twain introduced the use of black dialect words and expressions into American literature, proving that they are an inseparable part of US culture.
At the turn of the 80s. Twain becomes one of the most famous realist writers in America; his work is considered the personification of all American life.
Twain was interested medieval history. In this area, he wrote the fantasy novel "A Yankee at King Arthur's Court."

Biography of Twain: mature years

In 1884 he was able to found his own publishing house. In the 90s the writer begins to work in the genre of sharp social satire, his works and satirical pamphlets are directed against almost all American public institutions. Mark Twain thoroughly knew and loved the patriarchal life of the American outback. He considered the life and activities of a simple American person to be the only correct and true ones. The turbulent events of the turn of the century showed that a new social system was coming with its own laws and orders.
Early humorous stories Twain asserted the power of man - the conqueror of America. The heroes of the stories were carriers of " American dream", according to which any person, given equal starting opportunities, is able to achieve whatever he wants in life. Gradually, the writer is faced with the harsh reality of the new bourgeois century. Along with the old humor, bitterness sounds in his works unfulfilled hopes. The expression of these sentiments of the writer was the story “Simp Wilson,” in which he depicted the failure of traditional American life. Twain was disappointed with the development of American democracy, he admitted that his previous beliefs and ideals were just dreams.
In the early 90s. Mark Twain's publishing company suffered a financial collapse. In order to improve his financial situation, the writer committed trip around the world accompanied by public lectures.
The writer died in 1910 in Connecticut. Many famous writers argued that modern American literature was created by Twain. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn became favorite children's heroes large number readers.

The biography of the American writer Mark Twain, who devoted many of his books to adventure, is itself full various trips and unexpected turns of fate. Full name prose writer - Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He was born in the late autumn of 1835, during the period when Halley's Comet swept over the Earth. By a mysterious coincidence, the second flight of a celestial body over the planet will occur exactly on the day of the writer’s death.

The family of the future writer lived in small village Florida Missouri. The parents were John Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton Clemens. The family experienced difficulties, although the father served as a judge. And soon they were forced to move to the shipping city of Hannibal, which was located on the banks of the American Mississippi River. Sam has the warmest childhood memories associated with this place. They formed the basis of the most popular works of the prose writer.

After the death of his father in 1847, when Sam was only 12 years old, the family was left on the verge of ruin. The children had to leave school and start working. The boy was lucky: his older brother Orion had just opened his own printing house, and the future writer entered there as a typesetter. Occasionally he managed to publish his own articles, which did not leave readers indifferent.

Years of youth

At the age of 18, Samuel Clemens travels around the country. He reads voraciously, visiting the best library halls. A boy who was forced to leave school during his childhood is filling educational gaps in New York's book depositories. Soon the young man receives the position of assistant pilot on a ship.

According to the writer himself, he could have devoted his whole life to working on the Mississippi River if the Civil War had not begun in 1861. For a while, Sam falls into the ranks of the Confederates, but soon goes to the Wild West to search for gold and silver mines.

First attempts at writing

The work of mining precious metals did not bring Samuel much money, but here for the first time he is revealed as an observant and witty writer of short pamphlets and stories. And in 1863, for the first time, the writer signed his works with the pseudonym Mark Twain, taken from shipping practice. The prose writer never signed his books with his real name. It must be said that Samuel immediately became popular, and his first major humorous work, “The Famous Jumping Frog from Calaveras,” became famous in all states.

For several years in a row, the newly minted feuilletonist changes one edition after another, where he publishes his reviews and stories, honing his skills. Mark Twain speaks a lot to audiences. At the same time, another of his talents as an excellent speaker and storyteller is revealed. During his next move, he meets his future wife Olivia, the sister of his close friend. The photos from those times show that this is a successful and self-confident person. Everything about him speaks about this: his look, height and posture. Samuel is worried best time own life.

Creativity flourishes

Inspired by changes in his personal life, the writer easily created several works in the style of realism, which cemented his name among the classics of the 19th century. Appears in the mid-70s famous story“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, in which the childhood of the writer himself is described somewhat differently. Then the story “The Prince and the Pauper” was published, which appealed to the taste of the American people. The book "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" also appears, where historical theme intertwined with the theme of traveling in a time machine.

In the mid-80s, Samuel Clemens opened his own publishing house, and the first book was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this novel, Mark Twain for the first time clearly criticizes the established order in society. The writer also publishes the bestseller “Memoirs”, enlightened by the President of the States V.S. Grant. Its own printing house existed until the mid-90s, until it finally went bankrupt due to the economic collapse in the country.

Latest books writers who were already written in a polished, verified style did not have the same success as the first ones. His heroes, while still remaining witty adventurers, find themselves in ambiguous situations that require a philosophical approach and an uncompromising choice. During these years, Mark Twain was awarded a number of doctoral degrees from leading US universities. This was very flattering for a man who had long ago been forced to leave school.

Writer's friends

Samuel Clemens treasured his friendship with Nikola Tesla. The age difference of more than 20 years did not interfere with their creative communication. Together they participated in the physicist's bold experiments, and in free time the writer often made fun of his serious friend. But one day Nikola still managed to laugh it off. He offered the aged Samuel a certain means of rejuvenation, and after happily trying it, the writer felt that he was getting younger before his eyes. But after a while he rushed to the restroom because severe pain in a stomach. According to him, the product had a radical cleansing effect on him.

In 1893, fate brought Mark Twain together with financial tycoon Henry Rogers, who was known as a great misanthrope and miser. But close friendship with the writer changed him. The banker not only helped the writer’s family overcome financial difficulties, but also became a real donor and philanthropist, which became evident after his death. Henry spent a lot of money supporting young talent. He also organized jobs for people with disabilities.

Quotes

Samuel Clemens was a very sharp-tongued man. This was evident both in his writing and in colloquial speech. Many of his statements became catchphrases, which have not lost their relevance to this day. Here are some of them:

“Quitting smoking is easy. I threw it a hundred times myself.”

“Be careful when reading books about health. You could die from a typo"

“First of all, you need facts, and only then you can twist them”

Decline years

The last decade of the writer’s life turned out to be poisoned by the bitterness of irreparable losses: from the beginning of the new century, Mark Twain experienced death of three children and beloved wife Olivia. At the same time, he finally became firmly established in his views on religion.

In his last works, “The Mysterious Stranger” and “Letter from the Earth,” which were published only years after his death, Twain glorifies atheism with his usual sarcasm. The reason for it own death became angina. Her next attack claimed the life of the great writer in mid-spring 1910 in the city of Redding, Connecticut.

Bibliography

• The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras - 1867
• Simpletons Abroad - 1869
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - 1876
• The Prince and the Pauper - 1882
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn -1884
• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court -1889
• American Challenger - 1892
• Tom Sawyer Abroad - 1894
• Dupe Wilson - 1894
• Tom Sawyer - Detective - 1896
• Personal memories of Joan of Arc by Sieur Louis de Comte, her page and her secretary - 1896
• The Mysterious Stranger - 1916