MARK TWAIN
Mark Twain was an eminent American
writer of
critical realistic
novels and short stories,as well as a writer of democratic pamphlets.
Mark Twain was the pen-name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens.He was born in Florida(Missouri) in 1835.He spent his boyhood in the quiet small town of Hannibal(Missouri) on the banks of the Mississippi, which was to become the background of many of his literary works.At the age of 12, he had to start earning his living, first as a printer, then as a boat pilot on the Mississippi .During the Civil War between the North and the South (1861-1865), he refused to fight in the army of the Southern States, because it defended the interests of the planters ans slaveowners.After a short experience as a miner in the silver regions of Nevada , Mark Twain started contributing to various local newspapers , but he soon devoted his talent to literature and lecturing.
The humorous story"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"(1865), and the satirical travel notes "The Innocents Abroad" made Twain famous.His novels"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" , "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"do not only tell the humorous adventures of two imaginative and courageous young boys, they are also masterpieces of critical realism.Other important novels criticizing and satirizing the feudal society as well as the modern bourgeoisie are"The Prince and the Pauper", "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur''s Court".
Mark Twain was a keen observer of the realities in U.S.A in the early imperialist period;he took a democratic position towards the urgent problems of his time and exposed all forms of abuses in America''s public life.His
works are vehement
satires of the mock American democracy and American civilization.
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