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Better Together
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Alas, reports of Twain's death have not once again been exaggerated, but Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910) has belatedly succeeded in his ambition of "literally speaking from the grave" in this collection of 25 autobiographical chapters. In his excellent introduction, Twain scholar Kiskis, assistant dean at State University of New York-Empire State College, traces Clemens's 40-year attempt to leave his editors and heirs with a publishable autobiography. Out of the unorganized mass of material he wrote, this volume limits itself to work approved by the author and published in 1906-1907. As readers would expect, Clemens tells his story with an engaging mixture of bluster and lyricism, and he is most affecting when reliving pastoral childhood memories and reflecting, as a writer in his 70s, on human nature. Less successful are excerpts from a "biography" of Clemens written by his 13-year-old daughter Susy and used, too frequently, as a lead-in to the author's stories. Clemens intended his autobiography to be chatty and entertaining; he promised to stay on a topic only as long as it interested him. Thus the book is a lively hodgepodge of anecdotes, pronouncements and descriptions--all of them distinctly Mark Twain.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
When Mark Twain died in 1910, he left behind half a million words of autobiographical writing. The question of how to organize this wealth of material continues to bedevil editors. But there is one text, published under Twain's supervision, that can be considered authentic.
Alas, reports of Twain's death have not once again been exaggerated, but Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910) has belatedly succeeded in his ambition of "literally speaking from the grave" in this collection of 25 autobiographical chapters. In his excellent introduction, Twain scholar Kiskis, assistant dean at State University of New York-Empire State College, traces Clemens's 40-year attempt to leave his editors and heirs with a publishable autobiography. Out of the unorganized mass of material he wrote, this volume limits itself to work approved by the author and published in 1906-1907. As readers would expect, Clemens tells his story with an engaging mixture of bluster and lyricism, and he is most affecting when reliving pastoral childhood memories and reflecting, as a writer in his 70s, on human nature. Less successful are excerpts from a "biography" of Clemens written by his 13-year-old daughter Susy and used, too frequently, as a lead-in to the author's stories. Clemens intended his autobiography to be chatty and entertaining; he promised to stay on a topic only as long as it interested him. Thus the book is a lively hodgepodge of anecdotes, pronouncements and descriptions--all of them distinctly Mark Twain.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
When Mark Twain died in 1910, he left behind half a million words of autobiographical writing. The question of how to organize this wealth of material continues to bedevil editors. But there is one text, published under Twain's supervision, that can be considered authentic.
"CHAPTERS FROM MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY" were published in the North American Review in 1906-07 and contain a unified account of Twain's life in his own unmistakeable voice. More than just a story of a literary career, it reveals his family life and rambunctious boyhood.
MARK TWAIN'S OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY stands as the last of his great yarns. Here he tells his own story in his own way, freely expressing his joys and sorrows, his affections and hatreds, his rages and revenges.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Citations
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4
books
cite this book:
- A Historical Guide to Mark Twain (Historical Guides to American Authors) by Shelley Fisher Fishkin in Back Matter
- A Historical Guide to Mark Twain (Historical Guides to American Authors) by Shelley Fisher Fishkin in Back Matter
- Mark Twain: His Words, Wit, and Wisdom by R. Kent Rasmussen on page 311
- The Quotable Mark Twain by R. Kent Rasmussen in Back Matter