(1835–1910). The great U.S. author Mark Twain wrote stories of youthful adventures that are treasured by readers around the world. He created such memorable characters as Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

Early life

Mark Twain's real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Mark Twain was the name he used as a writer. He was born on November 30, 1835, in the small town of Florida, Missouri. When he was 4 years old, his family moved to a town on the banks of the Mississippi River. There Twain grew up, watching river boats, seeing the people who passed through, fishing, and roaming the nearby woods. His childhood experiences became the basis for many of his stories.

His father, John Marshall Clemens, ran a local store, practiced law, and entered community politics. Though hard-working, he had trouble providing for his wife and children. After school and on weekends Twain worked as a delivery boy, grocery clerk, and blacksmith's assistant. In 1847 Twain's father died. To learn a trade, Twain worked with a local printer.

Career

When his brother started a newspaper, Twain took a job there. He later worked for publications in New York City and Philadelphia. But by 1857, he was back on the Mississippi, training to become a riverboat pilot. Twain says his years working on the river were the most carefree of his life.

When the American Civil War began in 1861, boat traffic along the Mississippi stopped, so Twain traveled west. He became a reporter for a newspaper in a mining town in Nevada territory.

Twain then moved to California, where his writing was encouraged by other authors. In 1865 he published "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" . The story was reprinted in newspapers around the country and made Twain famous.

Famous works

Twain eventually settled in the East, where he married and raised his family. Hartford, Connecticut, was his home for 20 years. He spent his time writing and speaking to groups. He is best known for his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. First published in 1884, it tells the story of a boy's adventures as he floats down the Mississippi River on a raft. Twain's earlier novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) was also written about a boy's journey along the big river. The events and characters in that book closely follow the author's early life.

Twain died in Redding, Connecticut, on April 21, 1910. He is remembered as a wise observer of life, and his writings remain popular today.