Mark Twain, whose brief biography is presented in the article below, is a famous writer. He is loved and respected all over the world, he won fame for his talent. How were his days, what important happened in his life? Read the answers below.
A little about the writer
The works of Mark Twain are read at school, as they are included in the compulsory course. All adults and young people know this writer, so here will be a brief biography of Mark Twain for grade 5, because around this time children get acquainted with his exciting books. Our hero was not only a writer, but also a person with an active lifestyle. His work is very diverse and reflects the way of life - the same rich and motley. He wrote in many genres, from satire to philosophical fiction. In each of them he remained faithful to humanism. At the peak of his popularity, he was considered one of the most prominent Americans. Russian creators spoke of him very flatteringly: especially Gorky and Kuprin. Twain became famous thanks to his two books - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Childhood
Mark Twain, whose brief biography is the topic of our article, was born in Missouri, in the fall of 1845. After some time, the family changed their place of residence, moving to the city of Hannibal. In his books, he described the inhabitants of this city most often. Soon the head of the family died, and all responsibility passed to the young boys. The older brother took up the publishing business in order to somehow provide for his family. Mark Twain (real name - Samuel Langhorn Clemens) tried to contribute, so he worked part-time with his brother as a typesetter, and later as an author of articles. The guy decided to write the most daring and brightest articles only when his older brother Orion was away somewhere for a long time.
When the Civil War began, Samuel decided to try himself as a pilot on a ship. Soon he returned from sailing and decided to leave the terrible events of the war as far as possible. The future writer often repeated that if it were not for the war, he would have devoted his whole life to working as a pilot. In 1861 he went to the west - to where silver is mined. Not feeling a true attraction to the chosen case, he decides to take up journalism. He is hired by a newspaper in Virginia, and then Clemens begins writing under his pseudonym.
Nickname
The real name of our hero is Samuel Clemens. He said that he came up with his pseudonym while working as a pilot on a steamboat, using terms from river navigation. Literally, it means "two mark". There is another versionorigin of the pseudonym. In 1861, Artemus Ward published a humorous story about three sailors. One of them was called M. Twain. The most interesting thing is that S. Clemenes loved and often publicly read the works of A. Ward.
Success
Mark Twain's biography (briefly) testifies that in 1860, after the author had visited Europe, he published a book called "Simples Abroad". It was she who brought him first fame, and the literary society of America finally turned their attention to the young author.
Besides writing, what else did Mark Twain live for? A short biography for kids will tell you that almost a decade later, the writer falls in love and moves to Hartford with his fiancée. In the same period of time, he begins to criticize American society in his satirical works and lecture in educational institutions.
Mark Twain's biography in English (briefly) will tell us that in 1976 the writer publishes the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which in the future brings him worldwide fame. After 8 years, he writes the second famous work called "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." The author's most popular historical novel is The Prince and the Pauper.
Science and other interests
Does Mark Twain have anything to do with science? A short biography of the writer is simply impossible without mentioning science! He was very interested in new ideas andtheories. His good friend was Nikola Tesla, with whom they did some experiments together. It is known that two friends could not leave the laboratory for hours, doing another experiment. In one of his books, the writer used a rich technical description, saturated with the smallest details. This indicates that he was not just familiar with certain terms. In fact, he had in-depth knowledge in many areas.
What else was Mark Twain fond of? A brief biography will tell you that he was an excellent speaker and often spoke in public. He knew how to literally capture the spirit of the listeners and not let go until the end of his speech. Understanding the impact he can have on people and having already a sufficient number of useful connections, the writer was engaged in finding young talents and helping them to break through, to show their talent. Unfortunately, most of the recordings and lectures of his public speaking have simply been lost. Some he himself banned from publishing.
Also Twain was a Freemason. He joined the Polar Star lodge in St. Louis in the spring of 1861.
Recent years
The last years of his life turned out to be the hardest time for the writer. One gets the feeling that all the troubles decided to fall on him overnight. In the literary field, there was a decline in creative forces, and at the same time, the financial situation was rapidly deteriorating. After that, he suffered great grief: his wife Olivia Langdon and three of the four children died. Surprisingly, M. Twain doesn't careI tried not to lose heart and even joked sometimes! The great and talented writer died in the spring of 1910 from angina pectoris.