Mark Twain real name. Joining the Masonic Lodge
The famous American writer Mark Twain was not only a journalist and public figure, but also an excellent speaker. His work includes many genres, and in each of them he appears to readers every time as a humanist and democrat. The writer's real name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens. And Ernest Hemingway believes that American literature appeared in the USA thanks to Mark Twain, although this, naturally, is not a completely truthful statement, because they were in the USA literary works and before Mark Twain, but it was Mark Twain who gave the impetus for widespread"writing" in this country.
It was Mark Twain who demonstrated how critical realism shows how a person's life depends on circumstances and social environment. This had not been written about before, so such works became a kind of “bomb”, although they were written by the writer after known to the world Wars between the North and the South, but the events in these works take place before this turning point military conflict for the United States.
The writer was born on November 30, 1835 in small town Florida (not to be confused with the state of the same name), lost somewhere in the state of Missouri, in the USA, and died on April 21, 1910. An interesting fact is that during the period of his birth (late autumn 1835), Halley’s Comet flew over the Earth, and the second time it flew by exactly on the day of the writer’s death.
Mark Twain did not start writing right away. Before that, he worked as a pilot's mate on the Mississippi River, where he found his pseudonym. Initially, the cry of “Mark Twain” meant that a depth of two fathoms had been reached. This depth is sufficient to allow the vessel to navigate the river. Mark Twain loved this work very much and would have continued to do it if not for the Civil War. In memory of this love, “Mark Twain” later became a name worldwide famous writer, although this is not his only pseudonym. There is also a second one - Sir Louis de Comte.
There is another version: the pseudonym “Mark Twain” came to the writer from a humorous story by another author, where that was the name of one of the sailors. And since Marine theme was close to the writer (although he worked on a river steamer), the name of the hero-sailor was very much to his liking. This version of the appearance of the pseudonym is not considered the main one, but it should not be completely discounted.
30
November 1835 |
Mark Twain's birthday |
Mark Twain's books are known everywhere. There is no person who has not heard anything about “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” or “The Prince and the Pauper”. But little is known that it was he who created the novel “Personal Memoirs of Joan of Arc by Sir Louis de Comte, Her Page and Secretary,” but under a different pseudonym.
Interestingly, Mark Twain was friends with Nikola Tesla. The age difference of more than 20 years did not prevent them from cherishing this friendship. Friends took part in Tesla's most complex experiments, and in free time the writer often made fun of his serious friend. Thanks to his friend and his passion for science, from the writer’s pen appeared fantastic work, where modern (for that time) technology fell into the times of King Arthur.
Mark Twain was a very sharp-tongued man. This manifested itself everywhere: both in his writing and in colloquial speech. Many of his sayings became catchphrases that are remembered to this day. For example, “Quitting smoking is easy. I myself threw a hundred times”; “Be careful when reading books about health. You could die from a typo” or “First of all, you need facts, and only then you can twist them.” Mark Twain appreciated humor; it was with humorous couplets that he began his writing career. He also did not shy away from sharp satire, so his works were often censored.
American writer and journalist Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known to the world as Mark Twain, was born on November 30, 1835 in the small village of Florida (Missouri) in the family of a small merchant. He was the sixth child in a family of seven children.
In 1839, the Clemens family moved to the town of Hannibal in the same state where the future writer spent his childhood. In March 1847, the father died of pneumonia, leaving many debts, and the children were forced to get work. In 1848, Sam became an apprentice typesetter at the Missouri Courier, a weekly newspaper published in Hannibal, and three years later moved to the Western Union newspaper (later the Hannibal Journal), which was published by his older brother Orion Clemens. The first literary and journalistic works of the future writer were published in this newspaper.
In May 1852, his essay “A dandy scares a squatter” was published in the Boston magazine Carpet Bag.
In 1853 1857 Samuel Clemens traveled around the country, visiting first St. Louis, then the eastern states and Washington. He worked as a typesetter in St. Louis, in New York and Philadelphia, then to Keokuk (Iowa) and Cincinnati (Ohio).
In New York, he systematically visited the city library in the evenings; in books he looked for more extensive information than he received in a regular school.
In 1857, Sam became an apprentice pilot on a Mississippi steamboat, and in April 1859 he received his pilot's license. He continued to collaborate with the New Orleans newspapers True Delta and Crescent.
When the Civil War began in the United States in 1861, Sam fought on the side of the southerners for two weeks as part of the people's militia. In July 1861, when his older brother Orion received the position of assistant governor of the Nevada Territory, Samuel went west with his brother as his personal secretary. In 1862, in Nevada, hoping to get rich, he went to the silver mines and worked as a prospector for almost a year. After which he got a job at the Territorial Enterprise newspaper in Virginia City, for which he wrote articles, stories, and humorous essays, signing them with the pseudonym “Mark Twain.” Clemens claimed that he took the pseudonym (“Mark Twain” measure 2) from river navigation terms, which referred to the minimum depth suitable for the passage of river vessels.
In 1906, Twain began dictating his autobiography (he dictated it in 1906-1908), large fragments of which were never combined into a single whole.
Having completed it, Mark Twain forbade publication of the manuscript until a hundred years after his death, which expired in 2010. The Mark Twain Papers & Projects (MTPP) Foundation at the University of California plans to publish the first of three volumes of Mark Twain's autobiography.
Mark Twain's work is varied. He left more than 25 volumes of works of various genres, from light sketches and feuilletons to historical novels.
Twain's greatest contribution to American and world literature The novels "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "The Prince and the Pauper", "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" and the collection are considered real stories"Life on the Mississippi"
Of the stories published in the last years of his life, the most notable are “The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg”, as well as sharp, accusatory pamphlets. The treatise “What Is Man?” (What Is Man) is an excursion into philosophy. The works of recent years are mostly unfinished. Mark Twain's last satirical work, The Mysterious Stranger, was published posthumously in 1916 from an unfinished manuscript.
Mark Twain was very proud of public recognition: he was the recipient of an honorary Master of Arts (July 1888), and Doctor of Letters (October 1901) from Yale University, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Missouri (June 1902); He especially appreciated the award to him in 1907. scientific degree Doctor of Fine Letters from Oxford University.
Mark Twain was a member of the American Anti-Imperial League, which protested the American annexation of the Philippines.
IN last years Mark Twain was deeply depressed in his life, which began in 1896 when his beloved daughter Susie died of meningitis, the depression intensified when his wife Olivia died in 1904, and on December 24, 1909 in Redding (Connecticut) from a seizure Daughter Jean died of epilepsy.
Twain's financial position also deteriorated: he publishing company went broke; he invested a lot of money in new model printing press, which never went into production.
In January 1910, Mark Twain left for Bermuda, where his illness began to worsen: he was tormented by attacks of angina pectoris. On April 24, 1910, Mark Twain died. He is buried in his wife's family cemetery in Elmira, New York.
Mark Twain's house in Hartford has been turned into his personal museum and declared a national historical treasure in the United States.
A crater on Mercury is named after Mark Twain.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources.
On February 3, 153 years ago, namely in 1863, Mark Twain was born.
There is no need to accuse me of ignorance, because I am not talking about the birth of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, which took place 28 years earlier - November 30, 1835, but his pseudonym -
Mark Twain, by whom the whole world knows and loves the writer. It was then that Samuel Clemens signed his story “Letter from Carson” with this name, published in the newspaper Territorial Enterprise,produced in a small Virginia City (Nevada).
This was not the first story of the future greatest American humorist. He began publishing back in early youth, almost a boy, when, after the death of his father, he had to work as a typesetter in a newspaper published by his older brother Orion Clemens.
Probably everyone knows why exactly this nickname was chosen - “Mark twain”, translated as “measure two”, these are two fathoms, the water level in the river that is safe for navigation. Samuel - Sam - Clemens worked for four years, first as an apprentice and then as a pilot on a river steamer plying the Mississippi. And maybe I would have worked much longer if it weren’t for Civil War, which disrupted the work of the river shipping company. Samuel fell in love with this mighty and beautiful great American river for the rest of his life. Later, having already become Mark Twain, he would describe it more than once in his works, of which, of course, everyone read “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (readers of my LiveJournal, no doubt). But no less famous (at least in America) is his autobiographical novel “Life on the Mississippi,” where the river, without a doubt, main character the entire story.
The Mississippi is, of course, a very different place today than it was when Samuel Clemens sailed it.
on this or a very similar ship
It was there, in Life on the Mississippi, Chapter L. Our “Forefather,” Mark Twain, told his readers how, when and why he chose this pseudonym. This is what he writes about this, having previously spoken in detail at the beginning of the chapter about Captain Sellers as wonderful person, a man of noble soul, who was respected both on the shore and on the river.
« The old gentleman was not distinguished by any special literary interests or abilities, but he used to write short articles with simple practical information about the river, signed them “Mark Twain” and sent them to the New Orleans Picayune.<…>
It so happened that one of these notes formed the basis of my first newspaper article. I made fun of the captain hard, very hard, pushing my imagination of words to eight hundred or even a thousand. I was still a “puppy” at that time. I showed my work to several pilots, and they hurried to send it to True Delta for printing in New Orleans. It was a great pity: the article did not bring any benefit to anyone, but it deeply hurt the heart nice man. There was no malice in this nonsense, but there was a mockery of the captain in it. It was a mockery of a person for whom this was unexpected, strange and scary. I did not know then - although I know now - that there is no greater suffering than the suffering of an ordinary citizen, defamed for the first time in the press.
Captain Sellers did me the honor of hating me deeply from that day on. When I say: “did me an honor” - this is not empty words. It was a real honor to occupy the thoughts of such big man, like Captain Sellers, and I had the sense to appreciate her and be proud of her. It is a great honor to be loved by such a man, but an even greater honor to be the object of his hatred, because he loved dozens of people, but he never sat up all night indulging in hatred for anyone other than me.
He never printed another note in his life, and he never signed “Mark Twain” again in his life. When the telegraph brought the news of his death, I was on the Pacific Coast. I was a newly minted journalist and needed a pseudonym; then I confiscated the old sailor’s abandoned pseudonym and did everything I could so that this name became the same as it was in the old man’s hands - a sign, a symbol, a guarantee that everything signed like that is a rock-solid truth; whether I managed to achieve this, it will be up to me to decide for myself, perhaps immodestly » .
Well, you and I can testify that Mark Twain did not discredit this name, but glorified it far beyond the borders of his country.
As “cherry on the cake” I’ll add quotes and aphorisms from Mark Twain.
Hell is the only truly significant Christian community in the universe.
Apparently, there is nothing in the world that cannot happen.
An Englishman is a person who does something because it has been done before.
An American is a person who does something because it has not been done before.
Good parenting is the ability to hide how much we think about ourselves and how little about others.
There is no measure of vanity, there is only a measure of the ability to hide it.
April first. On this day we are reminded of who we are for the remaining three hundred and sixty-four days.
Never put off until tomorrow what can be done the day after tomorrow with the same success.
There is nothing easier than quitting smoking - I have already quit thirty times.
Only women can be not only the best judges of women, but also their executioners.
When I was fourteen my father was so stupid that I could hardly stand him, but when I was twenty-one I was amazed at how an old man Over the past seven years he has become wiser.
It’s probably the way it is in the USA that the most expensive ties are worn by those who would have had enough with a rope.
. “We are Anglo-Saxons, and when an Anglo-Saxon needs something, he goes and takes it.”<...>If we translate this remarkable declaration (and the sentiments it expresses) into simple human language, it will sound something like this: “We, the British and Americans, are thieves, robbers and pirates, of which we are proud.”
By the grace of God in our country we have three precious goods: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and prudence never to use either one or the other.
A bank is an institution where you can borrow money if you have the means to convince yourself that you do not need it.
A banker is a person who will lend you an umbrella in sunny weather and will take it away at the very moment when it starts to rain.
The more often a person mentions God in his speeches, the more diligently I watch my wallet.
If a man could be crossed with a cat, it would improve the man but make the cat worse.
There are three types of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.
Humor activates the mechanism of thought.
Let's hope that Mark Twain's ironic aphorisms managed to set in motion the mechanism of our thoughts. If anyone still has doubts about this, I advise you to turn to other works of this wonderful writer. By God, you won’t regret it, even if you’ve read a lot. Firstly, not everything (unless, of course, they wrote a monograph on the topic of his works). And secondly, Mark Twain’s stories, essays, and novellas are just the kind of works that can be re-read many times and each time get a lot of pleasure, like from your favorite dishes.
Enjoy your meal.
The biography of the American writer Mark Twain, who devoted many of his books to adventure, is itself full of various travels and unexpected turns 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 celestial body over the planet will occur exactly on the day of the writer’s death.
The family of the future writer lived in the small village of 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.
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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.
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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
Mining work 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.
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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, his sister 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 the historical theme is intertwined with the theme of travel in a time machine.
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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 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.
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The writer's last books, which were written in a well-honed, verified style, did not have the same success as the first. 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 his 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 due to severe stomach pain. According to him, the product had a radical cleansing effect on him.
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In 1893, fate brought Mark Twain to 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 was revealed 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 manifested both in his writing and in his spoken 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.
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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
Mark Twain is a writer who made great contributions to journalism and social activities. His creativity was not limited to a certain direction. He wrote humorous and satirical works, journalism and even science fiction. On the other hand, the author always adhered to a democratic and humanistic position. The description of life should begin with the fact that Mark Twain’s real name is completely different. The initials by which he is known throughout the world are his pseudonym. The history of its origin is quite interesting. The real name of the writer is Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
The appearance of a pseudonym
How did the idea of creating a different name come about? Samuel Clemens himself said that "Mark Twain" was taken from river navigation terminology. IN early years he held the position of assistant pilot on the Mississippi. Each time the message that the minimum mark had been reached, which was acceptable for the passage of river boats, sounded like “Mark Twain”. It turns out there is nothing unusual in this story.
However, there is another version why the writer changed his real name to Mark Twain. In 1861 in the magazine " North Star"A story was published, composed in a humorous direction by Artemus Ward. One of the main characters was named Mark Twain. Clemens really liked the humorous section, and for his early speeches he chose stories by this author.
Childhood and adolescence
Samuel Clemens (real name Mark Twain) was born on November 30, 1835 in the small town of Florida, which was located in Missouri. When the boy was 4 years old, his parents, in search of a way to improve their lives, decided to move to the city of Hannibal. He was in the same state. The image of this particular town and its inhabitants was later reflected in most of Mark Twain’s published books.
Clemens's father died in 1847 from pneumonia, leaving a large number of debts To fix financial position family, the eldest son decided to publish a newspaper, to which young Samuel made a major contribution. The boy was engaged in typing, and sometimes published as an author of articles. The most alive and interesting works were written by the future Mark Twain. Usually such materials were published when his brother was away. Clemens also traveled occasionally to St. Louis and New York.
Pre-literary activity
The biography of Mark Twain is interesting not only for his literary creations. Before devoting himself to the work of a writer, he worked as a pilot on a steamship ship. Clemens himself later said that if it had not been for the Civil War, he would have continued to work on the ship. Since private shipping was prohibited, the young man had to change his type of activity.
May 22, 1861 is marked in the biography of Mark Twain by the fact that he joined the Masonic fraternity. The writer knew firsthand about the people's militia, which he vividly described in 1861. In the summer of that year he went west. TO interesting facts His biography also includes his experience as a miner in Nevada, where silver was mined. But his mining career did not work out, so Clemens decided to try himself as a newspaper employee.
Beginning of a literary career
In a Virginia newspaper, Clemens (Mark Twain's real name was indicated just above) was first published under a pseudonym. In 1864, he moved to San Francisco, where he began collaborating with several newspapers at once. The year 1865 was marked by the fact that Mark Twain achieved his first success as a writer. His story, written in a humorous genre, was published and recognized as the best.
In the spring of 1866, Twain went on a trip to Hawaii. On behalf of the newspaper, he had to tell in letters about what happened to him during the trip. After returning to their native lands, these descriptions were a huge success. Soon the writer received an offer to go on a tour around the state with interesting lectures, which the public listened to with pleasure.
Publication of the first book
Twain received his first real recognition as a writer for another book, which also contained his travel stories. In 1867, he went to travel around Europe as a correspondent. Clemens also visited Russia: Odessa, Yalta, Sevastopol. Interesting facts about Mark Twain include his visit as part of a ship’s delegation, when he visited the residence of the Emperor of Russia.
The author sent his impressions to the editor, then they were published in the newspaper. Later they were combined into one book called "Simps Abroad." She was released in 1869, which immediately produced big success. Throughout his creative career, Twain visited Europe, Asia, America and Australia.
In 1870, when Mark Twain was at the height of his popularity, he married and moved to Buffalo, then to Hartford. At this time, the writer gave lectures not only in America, but also abroad. Afterwards he began to work in the genre of sharp satire, criticizing the American government.
Creative career
Mark Twain's books are still loved by readers all over the world. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn made the greatest contribution to American literature. It is difficult to find a person who would not be familiar with this work. People's love and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "The Prince and the Pauper" and other books are also successful. Today they are in the home libraries of many families. Most of it public speaking and the lectures have not survived.
Interesting facts about Mark Twain include the fact that some works were banned from publication by the writer himself during his lifetime. The lectures were interesting to listeners because Clemens had a talent for speaking in public. When he achieved fame and recognition, he began to look for young talents and helped them take their first steps in the literary field. The writer used useful contacts in literary circles and his own publishing company.
For example, he was very friendly with Nikola Tesla. Mark Twain was interested in science, which is confirmed by the description various technologies in books. From time to time his works were banned by censorship. Some works that could offend people's religious feelings were not published at the request of the writer's family. Mark Twain himself, with his characteristic sense of humor, took censorship lightly.
The last years of the writer's life
Mark Twain experienced the loss of three of his four children and the death of his wife. Despite his depressed state, he never lost his ability to joke. His financial situation was not better condition. Most of savings were invested in a new model of the machine, which was never released. The rights to Mark Twain's books were stolen by plagiarists.
In 1893 the writer was introduced to the famous oil tycoon Henry Rogers. Soon their acquaintance grew into a strong friendship. His death greatly upset Twain. Samuel Clemens, who is known throughout the world as Mark Twain, died on April 21, 1910. This is the same year that Halley's Comet passed by.
Mark Twain's biography is rich in bright events, ups and downs. However, he always treated everything with humor. And his contribution to literature - not only American, but also worldwide - is great. And now all the boys, and girls too, as well as adults, continue to read about the adventures of two mischievous children - Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.