Mark Twain – the man, the myth, the legend

I took this photo at the Mark Twain Museum, Hannibal, Missouri.

Born Samuel Clemens in tiny Florida, Missouri, he said he made it to Hannibal as soon as he could get there at age four. On the brink of the Mississippi, Hannibal offered employment on the mighty river which served as a highway to bigger places where excitement happened and fortunes were made.

From youth on, Clemens journeyed to wherever an ambitious, hardworking young man could move forward. He worked in his older brother’s newspaper office for a while and then started writing his own copy. His no nonsense, common-sense humor gradually attracted a reading audience. He didn’t strike it rich in California’s gold fields but the stories he wrote there began reaching a national audience. He also became known as a travel writer and got sent abroad to Europe and even Israel. We need writers like him to tour and represent America abroad today, while also writing and sending candid feedback from the foreign shores of the nations they visit. His two most popular travel books are A Connecticut Yankee in King Artur’s Court and Innocents Abroad.

I’ve been privileged to travel considerably before COVID. Two trips had to be cancelled since March 2020. When things normalize, I plan to volunteer for pleasant travel and writing assignments again.

What about you? Which of Mark Twain’s books did you enjoy most or want to read?

Where do you want to travel most when COVID ends?

Have a great week as we roll into June!