Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Samuel Langhorne Clemens

176 years ago, Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born. In 8th grade, my first research paper, done with the aid of two sizes of index cards and the 42nd street library, focused on his writing.

After leaving school at 13, Clemens worked with printing presses, first as an apprentice and later with his brother. He also piloted a steam boat, which gave him his pen name- Mark Twain was a measure that indicated the river could be safely navigated.

During the Civil War, Clemens became a newspaper man, and worked all over the United States. And he wrote witty stories and tales. There was a magic to them.

He had a captivating way of capturing moments and characters, and these are present in all of the books and stories he shared with the world. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn... The literary world is richer for his efforts.

Happy Birthday!

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