(Mark Twain; 1835-1910), humorist and author. A master of American literature, Clemens wrote in a colloquial, earthy style, inspired by the experiences of his childhood along the Mississippi River and his travels and lectures throughout the world. His humorous and satirical works present a realistic picture of nineteenth-century life but also carry universal implications that have lifted his best works into the realm of classic literature. Taking his pseudonym "Mark Twain" from the cry of a sailor calling out the shallows from the bow of a Mississippi riverboat, Clemens led a wandering life. He piloted a riverboat and worked as a newspaper reporter in Virginia City, Nevada, and San Francisco, California, before moving to Hartford, Connecticut, where he wrote most of his books. He published his first notable work, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," in 1865. This was followed by such classics as Roughing It (1872), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), The Prince and the Pauper (1882), Life on the Mississippi (1883), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889).
