Mark Twain: Biography Of The “father ” Of American Literature

It was William Faulkner who defined Mark Twain as “the father” of American literature. However, at the time, the newspapers saw Samuel Langhorne Clemens as a philosopher, an intellectual adventurer with acid writing and masterful wit who could give us unforgettable characters like Tom Sawyer or his best friend, Huckleberry Finn.

In the same way that Charles Dickens did in the United Kingdom, literature and journalism in the United States were illuminated by the writing of Mark Twain. This author contained in his pen the same originality and literary mastery of Dickens, but he was also a great orator and humorist, capable of making American literature live a golden age that is difficult to forget.

Ernest Hemingway even went so far as to say that American literature began and ended with him. It is clear that this is a somewhat exaggerated opinion, which does not take into consideration authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne or Herman Melville. However, there is one thing that makes Mark Twain special.

Nobody described so well the character and social inequalities of American society at the time. His language was not refined, it did not emanate that essence so typical of East Coast writers. Mark Twain was an adventurer from the lands of Missouri and his whole person exuded the simplicity and purity of the humble people of those southern lands with a picaresque lifestyle, where slavery, need and the highest ingenuity reigned.

Samuel, a Mississippi adventurer

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on November 30, 1835 in Missouri. He would use the pseudonym of Mark Twain from 1862 to write his books after several years of working as a river steamboat pilot. His childhood, and all the complex experiences lived during that early youth, would have inspired much of his stories and the alert, adventurous and markedly critical nature of his characters.

Among the anecdotes that most marked his life was the fact that he was born just as Halley’s comet approached Earth. However, his childhood was undoubtedly the economic hardship of the family. He was unable to finish his studies, so at an early age he began working in a printing house and later as a river pilot.

After the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-1865) Samuel quit his job and decided to go to Nevada in search of gold. His brother had been appointed secretary to the governor of this state, which is why he did not hesitate to spend a few years visiting those lands.

Mark Twain tried to get rich (unsuccessfully), lived with Mormons, worked as a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise and traveled extensively in Europe until he reached the Middle East.

The birth of Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens gave way to Mark Twain after the publication of a short story: The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras County . The success achieved with this work marked a before and after in his life. After this literary recognition, they would come:

• The Innocents Abroad (1869)
• The Prince and the Pauper (1881)

• An American in the court of King Arthur (1889)

These titles are just a few examples of the creative ability and originality of a literary figure that was making its way into the American cultural society of the time. Later, he married Olivia Langdon and from this marriage was born the first daughter, Susy, who however died of diphtheria at the age of two.

The loss of his daughter brought him closer to the world of children and young people. And so, in 1876, his cult book arrived: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer . A few years later he wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Two milestones in the history of literature that contain much more in their pages than the adventures of a child in the days before the civil war.

Mark Twain dissected in detail, through a comic and acid style, the essence of North America in an age of racism, hunger, social differences and human cruelty. The stories were inscribed in a scenario very familiar to Samuel: that bank of the Mississippi where the most disparate characters, the most ingenious creatures lived.

Personal drift and recognition

Mark Twain was one of the busiest figures of his time, not just when it comes to civil rights. He was a strong supporter of abolitionism, defended the need for justice and respect for ethnic minorities and the emancipation of women. He also gave a famous speech in which he defended the right to vote for women.

Twain was fascinated by the work of deaf-mute activist and politician Hellen Keller and cared for her well-being, to the point of sponsoring her academic training.

Samuel L. Clemens never gave up his adventurous and rebellious character, but this led him to suffer from economic difficulties that accompanied him until the end of his life. Twain, in fact, mismanaged his finances and could barely survive giving lectures around the United States.

His last years were marked by grief: he lost his wife and children. Saying goodbye to those he loved deprived his books of the verve and wit that characterized them.

Despite this, the University of Oxford rewarded his talent by granting him an  Honoris Causa doctorate . Without doubt, a valid recognition of his style and the immeasurable literary legacy he left us.