Mark Twain
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Mark Twain

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Mark Twain is the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 - 1910). He was born and brought up in the American state of Missouri and, because of his father's death, he left school to earn his living when he was only twelve. He was a great adventurer and travelled round America as a printer; prospected for gold and set off for South America to earn his fortune. He returned to become a steam-boat pilot on the Mississippi River, close to where he had grown up. The Civil War put an end to steam-boating and Clemens briefly joined the Confederate army - although the rest of his family were Unionists! He had already tried his hand at newspaper reporting and now became a successful journalist. He started to use the alias Mark Twain during the Civil War and it was under this pen name that he became a famous travel writer. He took the name from his steam-boat days - it was the river pilots' cry to let their men know that the water was two fathoms deep. Mark Twain was always nostalgic about his childhood and in 1876 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published, based on his own experiences. The book was soon recognised as a work of genius and eight years later the sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was published. The great writer Ernest Hemingway claimed that 'All modern literature stems from this one book.' Mark Twain was soon famous all over the world. He made a fortune from writing and lost it on a typesetter he invented. He then made another fortune and lost it on a bad investment. He was an impulsive, hot-tempered man but was also quite sentimental and superstitious. He was born when Halley's Comet was passing the Earth and always believed he would die when it returned - this is exactly what happened.
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood

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A Connecticut Yankee

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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain's 1889 satirical novel, follows a 19th-century American engineer who is transported back in time to medieval England. The book has inspired numerous adaptations over the years, with the most famous likely being the 1949 musical film starring Bing Crosby.

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Featured Article: Guide to Pseudonyms & Pen Names


Here's everything you ever wanted to know about pseudonyms—including how to choose one, the legal ramifications, and famous author pen names. For centuries, writers have been using alternate names, also known as pen names, noms de plume, or pseudonyms. There are several reasons why writers choose to use pseudonyms, and a lot of other things to learn about them. In this post, we’re rounded up everything you need to know about pseudonyms to satisfy your curiosity and help you decide if you want to publish your writing under a pen name.

Featured Article Guide to Pseudonyms and Pen Names

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