Biography Of Mark Twain

Samuel Clemens based his works on things that occurred throughout his personal life. He gained many interests and talents while on the Mississippi

River that contributed to his writings.

Samuel Clemens was born on November

30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He was two months premature. AT the time of his birth, Haley's comet was in the sky. Four years after Clemens was born, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri. He grew up there on the Mississippi

River. The river supported some of the happiest moments in his life.

Clemens

was the fifth child in the family of John and Jane Clemens. The first seven years of his life, he was under the supervision of his mother and the family physician,

Dr.

Hugh, because of being sick. At age nine, though, Clemens was known to be grown up.

In 1847, his father died. He began to carry our adult responsibilities now at age 12. He began working and running errands to contribute to the family. After his father died, the family began to have bad financial problems.

When Clemens turned seventeen, he was ready to be on his own, He began to write stories and sketches for newspapers. He supported himself for the next two years. He also decided to go east ward from Hannibal to work on printing jobs. (Miller, Dwyer, Wood, 259)

He enrolled in school at age four. He was well-behaved and disciplined in school.

Learning was a privilege to Clemens. he was interested in knowing facts, information, and figures. He had a strong knowledge of math, language, vocabulary, and correct composition. He learned much about Botany. At age 12, he quit school and became a printer's apprentice.

In 1901, he received his Lit. D. degree from Yale, 1902. his Lit. D. degree from the University of Missouri, and in 1907 his Lit. D. degree from Oxford.

In

1857, Clemens started down the Mississippi River. He made important decisions with important consequences in his life. Clemens persuaded Horace Bixby to teach him piloting skills. In 1859, he became a licensed riverboat pilot. During the 1850's while he piloted steamboats, he adopted the name Mark Twain in

Virginia City. Mark

Twain was a name meaning two fathoms deep, used on a

Mississippi River steamboat.

(Discovering Authors) Twain first began to publish under his...

... middle of paper ...

...s in

1896. She died peacefully and was laid to rest by her brother. After Susy's death, the family secluded themselves in London. His other two daughters, Clara and Jean, moved away from Twain. Clara married a pianist and lived in Europe. Jean spent most of her adult life in nursing homes. Jean had the worst relationship with her father out of the

Clemens children. The last few months of her life, though, she grew closer to her father while living with him. In December of 1909, she died. (Miller,17)

Twain was not known as an easy man to live with. He had a bad temper, but he tried to keep it under control. In 1904 his wife, Olivia, died in Italy. On April 24, 1910

Twain died at Stormfield of angia pectoris at age 74. Haley's comet was once again in the sky at this time. He was buried in Elmira, New York.

After his death, he was known as a hero. Schools, parks, and museums have been named after him. His works have become known as the first and finest literary expression.

According

to Ernest Hemingway, Twain was the father of all Literature. He is "the poet of a unique phase of American experience." (Smist, 38)