Customer Reviews

Mark Twain's Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the "North American Review" (Wisconsin studies in American autobiography)

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4 star:		(1)
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Here is Twain in his own voice; humorous,
cantankerous, opinionated, sometimes historically
unreliable, but always engaging, and, unlike almost
all of his contemporaries, fun to read.

He went everywhere and seems to have met everyone
of consequence in his day, and he reports all with
his reporter's eye (and imaginative gifts!). He
was also a dedicated family man who, sadly, outlived
most of his loved ones, and this work may be seen
in part as a memorial to them. The sadness, suffused
with joyful recollections, does not
detract from the overall entertainment and
enlightenment value of the work, which is highly
recommended for anyone interested in Twain or the
literary world of the nineteenth century.

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I checked this book out of the library two months ago (woops!)and although it did not compel me to voraciously read it through beginning to end, it does quietly beckon to finish his story. I love Samuel Clemens and the way he looked at life. He made outrageous statements concerning people and God, and often irreverent. I'm a Christian and probably should be offended, but I'm not. The reader can see in his books, the quieter search for truth and spirituality. This autobiography is one of them. In his own words.."this autobiography of mine does not select from my life its showy episodes, but deals mainly in the common experiences which go to make up the life of the average human being." His softer side is exposed when discussing his children and thier questions. His young daughters were not jaded and cynical in thier approach to the meaning of life and God, so it often threw him off guard when trying to answer them. He is considered to be the great writers/satirists of American history, and yet he exposes his weaknesses and insecurities readily. He makes the ordinary, unknown man feel comfortable in his "presence". Mr. Clemens had a keen sense of the human ego..he knew that when most people recollect their past, famous and non, they tend to glorify and embellish thier success and justify what wasn't. Often when he is recalling stories, he will finish them with "events which...I have imagined have happened to me" or "Now, then, that is the tale. Some of it is true." Love that!

I also appreciate the fact that Michael Kiskis did not interject his commentary throughout the autobiography (like many commentators do.) He made the distinction between his writing and Twain's clear. His was a simple introduction and follow-up of notes.

It's probably a slow-read, but I recommend it to anyone that wanted to become better aquainted with Samuel Clemens and his life story!

"Mark Twain's Own Autobiography" consists of a collection of anecdotal reminiscences dictated by Twain over a period of years. In it the reader will get a sense of the facts of his life and the emotions which flowed out of his life and on to the pages.

More than a real autobiography, this is more Twain storytelling, with himself as a main subject. The wit which we love in his novels we will enjoy in this book. Sit back, read and enjoy.

We just read this book in our Book Club. All agreed that while there were some entertaining moments, this autobiography did not capture his wit. It was a real "yawner".