Mark Twain author page

Mark Twain biography

Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835, was an American author and humorist whose works have become central to American literature. He grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, along the Mississippi River, which later provided the setting for some of his most famous stories. Twain worked as a printer’s apprentice, riverboat pilot, and journalist before turning to fiction.

He achieved national fame with the publication of The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County in 1865. Twain is best known for his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), both of which draw on his experiences in Missouri and explore themes of childhood, freedom, and social criticism. His other works include Life on the Mississippi (1883), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889), and The Prince and the Pauper (1881).

Twain’s writing is noted for its wit, realism, and sharp social observation. He lectured widely in the United States and abroad, gaining an international reputation. Twain continued to publish essays, travel narratives, and novels throughout his life.

He died in 1910. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remains one of the most studied and influential novels in American literature.