biography of the “father” of American literature

It was William Faulkner who defined Mark Twain as “the father” of American literature.. However, in his time, the newspapers saw Samuel Langhorne Clemens as a philosopher, an intellectual with the air of an adventurer and acidic writing and masterful wit capable of giving us characters as unforgettable as they were. Tom Sawyer or his best friend, Huckleberry Finn.

We are not wrong to point out that If in the United Kingdom they had Dickens, in the United States literature and journalism were illuminated by a similar figure. Mark Twain had the same mastery and literary originality in his pen, but he was also always characterized by his great gifts as an orator and humorist, thus leading American culture to a golden age that is difficult to forget.

Ernest Hemingway even said that American literature began and ended with him.. It is clear that this is a somewhat exaggerated opinion; there is no doubt that we have Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne or Herman Melville. However, there was something that exquisitely set Mark Twain apart.

No one described so well the social character, the inequalities and that portrait of American society at the time. His language was not refined, it did not emanate that essence of the East Coast writers. Twain was an adventurer from the lands of Missouri, and his entire person exuded the simplicity and purity of the humble people of those southern lands. where picaresque, slavery, necessity and the highest ingenuity lived.

Samuel, an adventurer from Mississippi

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on November 30, 1835 in Missouri. He would use the pseudonym Mark Twain from 1862 to write his books after several years working as a river steamboat pilot. His childhood, and all the complex experiences experienced in that early youth, would mark, as is to be expected, a large part of his stories and his awakened, adventurous and markedly critical character.

Among the anecdotes that most marked his life was the fact that he was born just as Halley’s Comet was approaching Earth. However, what determined much of his early years was undoubtedly the financial needs of his family. He couldn’t finish school, so he started working early in a printing press and later as a river pilot.

After the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-1865) Samuel left his job and decided to go to Nevada to look for gold.. His brother had been appointed secretary to the governor of this state, so he did not hesitate too much to spend a few years getting to know those lands.

He tried to get rich (unsuccessfully), lived with Mormon peoplesworked as a journalist for the Territorial Enterprise and, later, he embarked again on new journeys. This time through Europe until reaching 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 the Calaveras district. The success achieved with this work marked a before and after in his life. After that literary recognition, would come:

Guide for Innocent Travelers (1869)The Innocents Abroad (1882)Prince and Pauper (1882)A Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)…

All these titles are mere examples of the creative capacity and originality of a figure who was making his own place among the American cultural society of that time. By then, he had already married Olivia Langdon and lost his first daughter, Susy, who died of diphtheria at the age of two.

That loss caused me to feel special closeness to the world of children and youth. It was in 1876 when his fetish book arrived: Tom Sawyer. He was later followed Huckleberry Finntwo literary treasures that contained in their pages much more than the simple adventures of a child during the days before the Civil War.

Mark Twain dissected in detail (through a comic and acidic style) that essence of North America at the time where racism lived, hunger, social differences and human cruelty. The stories were set in a setting very familiar to Samuel: that shore of the Mississippi where the most diverse characters lived, the most ingenious creatures…

Personal drift and recognition

Mark Twain was one of the most committed figures of the time with human rights. He was a firm supporter of abolitionism and defended, in turn, the need for justice and respect towards other ethnic communities and the emancipation of women. He also made one of the most famous speeches of that time when calling for women’s suffrage. Likewise, Mark Twain was admired by the political activist and deafblind Hellen Keller, who always cared about her well-being. She even went so far as to pay for her training.

However, The adventurous and risk-taking character of old Samuel L. Clemens never left him. This meant that at the end of his life he was accompanied by financial difficulties. He was a bad investor and was able to barely survive by giving lectures.

His last years were marked by sadness. He lost his wife and his children. Saying goodbye to those he loved took some of the verve and wit out of his books. However, heAt the University of Oxford, he awarded an Honoris Causa doctorate to his talent. Recognition of his style and that literary legacy that we continue to enjoy.

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