Mark Twain - (Greenwood Biographies) by Connie Kirk (Hardcover)

About the Book

Samuel Clemens lived 75 years, 50 under the pseudonym Mark Twain. His youth could be characterized as sometimes mischievous, his older years as generally eccentric and his writing as always provocative. Twain left a literary canon of nearly 50 books, hundreds of short stories and essays, and a veritable treasury of quotable epigrams. While his words and his works have stood up to the test of time, knowing the man behind the persona, and understanding what inspired and influenced the writer, is crucial to fully appreciating the contributions Twain made to American literature. By skillfully weaving together strands of history with his personal story, this authoritative biography helps readers come to more fully understand the man and his enduring legacy. Starting with a chapter on Clemens' boyhood, readers are treated to a very personal view of Twain's early life. Twain's adult life is chronicled with five expertly developed chapters that explore his early professional years from printer to pilot, his travels westward and abroad, his gilded years with his beloved wife Livy, and his final years of widowhood and decline. This engaging biography also delves into the enduring impact of Twain's creative voice and his unique blend of humor with social commentary that not only entertained but also challenged thinking and changed the literary landscape forever.

This biography draws from the best of established Twain resources and scholarship, and adds fresh new perspectives from personal letters, original manuscripts, and extended study visits to important places including Twain's study and Quarry Farm. This work is written in a lively style that Twain himself would appreciate and students will enjoy. Researchers hoping to dig deeper into the Twain legacy will benefit from the expertly compiled information and documentation of resources offered here. A chronology, a bibliography and five additional fact-filled appendices, including quotes from Twain, books by Twain, and a rendering of his family tree will help readers get a solid handle on the details as well as the big picture of Mark Twain's life and legacy.

Book Synopsis

Samuel Clemens lived 75 years, 50 under the pseudonym Mark Twain. His youth could be characterized as sometimes mischievous, his older years as generally eccentric and his writing as always provocative. Twain left a literary canon of nearly 50 books, hundreds of short stories and essays, and a veritable treasury of quotable epigrams. While his words and his works have stood up to the test of time, knowing the man behind the persona, and understanding what inspired and influenced the writer, is crucial to fully appreciating the contributions Twain made to American literature. By skillfully weaving together strands of history with his personal story, this authoritative biography helps readers come to more fully understand the man and his enduring legacy. Starting with a chapter on Clemens' boyhood, readers are treated to a very personal view of Twain's early life. Twain's adult life is chronicled with five expertly developed chapters that explore his early professional years from printer to pilot, his travels westward and abroad, his gilded years with his beloved wife Livy, and his final years of widowhood and decline. This engaging biography also delves into the enduring impact of Twain's creative voice and his unique blend of humor with social commentary that not only entertained but also challenged thinking and changed the literary landscape forever.

This biography draws from the best of established Twain resources and scholarship, and adds fresh new perspectives from personal letters, original manuscripts, and extended study visits to important places including Twain's study and Quarry Farm. This work is written in a lively style that Twain himself would appreciate and students will enjoy. Researchers hoping to dig deeper into the Twain legacy will benefit from the expertly compiled information and documentation of resources offered here. A chronology, a bibliography and five additional fact-filled appendices, including quotes from Twain, books by Twain, and a rendering of his family tree will help readers get a solid handle on the details as well as the big picture of Mark Twain's life and legacy.

Review Quotes

?[T]here are very few in-depth biographical coverages that reveal Mark Twain's personal life. Biographer Connie Kirk uses established Twain resources and adds new research and perspectives gleaned from Twain's personal letters and her discussions with family members: the result is an in-depth modern survey of Twain for new students of his work.?-MBR Internet Bookwatch

?Kirk has very carefully tempered Twain's biography with just enough literary criticism and modern scholarship to be informative to high school readers without burdening them with the material they may not be prepared to understand.?-Mark Twain Forum

?Kirk successfully navigates between those pitfalls to create a short biography that is entertaining to read and still presents a rather thorough picture of Twain. She accomplishes this with a careful mixture of the sketchy and the detailed.?-Mark Twain Forum

?When one considers the complexity of Twain, the volume and variety of his writing, his many accomplishments, and his impact on literature, the task of condensing his life is daunting, yet Connie Ann Kirk has done so very effectively. Her biography of Twain is a straightforward chronological narrative of his life presented in six chapters starting with an introduction to the man and the author.?-Mark Twain Forum

"ÝT¨here are very few in-depth biographical coverages that reveal Mark Twain's personal life. Biographer Connie Kirk uses established Twain resources and adds new research and perspectives gleaned from Twain's personal letters and her discussions with family members: the result is an in-depth modern survey of Twain for new students of his work."-MBR Internet Bookwatch

"[T]here are very few in-depth biographical coverages that reveal Mark Twain's personal life. Biographer Connie Kirk uses established Twain resources and adds new research and perspectives gleaned from Twain's personal letters and her discussions with family members: the result is an in-depth modern survey of Twain for new students of his work."-MBR Internet Bookwatch

"Kirk has very carefully tempered Twain's biography with just enough literary criticism and modern scholarship to be informative to high school readers without burdening them with the material they may not be prepared to understand."-Mark Twain Forum

"Kirk successfully navigates between those pitfalls to create a short biography that is entertaining to read and still presents a rather thorough picture of Twain. She accomplishes this with a careful mixture of the sketchy and the detailed."-Mark Twain Forum

"When one considers the complexity of Twain, the volume and variety of his writing, his many accomplishments, and his impact on literature, the task of condensing his life is daunting, yet Connie Ann Kirk has done so very effectively. Her biography of Twain is a straightforward chronological narrative of his life presented in six chapters starting with an introduction to the man and the author."-Mark Twain Forum

About the Author

CONNIE ANN KIRK is an author and independent scholar specializing in American and children's literature and the poet, Emily Dickinson. Her books from Greenwood Press include: J.K. Rowling: A Biography, Emily Dickinson: A Biography, Mark Twain: A Biography, Sylvia Plath: A Biography, and The Companion to American Children's Picture Books.