Mark Twain
The short story is often viewed as an inferior relation to the Novel. But it is an art in itself. To take a story and distil its essence into fewer pages while keeping character and plot rounded and driven is not an easy task. Many try and many fail. In this series we look at short stories from many of our most accomplished writers. Miniature masterpieces with a lot to say. In this volume we examine some of the short stories of Mark Twain. Samuel
...Following the Equator is an account by Mark Twain of his travels through the British Empire in 1895. He chose his route for opportunities to lecture on the English language and recoup his finances, impoverished due to a failed investment. He recounts and criticizes the racism, imperialism and missionary zeal he encountered on his travels - and all with his particular brand of wit.
"Twain will begin to seem strange again, alluring and still astonishing . . . in ways that still resonate with us."—New York Times
"A pointillist masterpiece from which his vision of America—half paradise, half swindle—emerges with indelible force."—Publishers Weekly...
"Twain will begin to seem strange again, alluring and still astonishing . . . in ways that still resonate with us."—New York Times
"A pointillist masterpiece from which his vision of America—half paradise, half swindle—emerges with indelible force."—Publishers Weekly...
"I've struck it!" Mark Twain wrote in a 1904 letter to a friend. "And I will give it away—to you. You will never know how much enjoyment you have lost until you get to dictating your autobiography."
Thus, after dozens of false starts and hundreds of pages, Twain embarked on his "Final (and Right) Plan" for telling the story of his life. His innovative notion—to "talk only about the thing which interests you for the moment"—meant
...Mark Twain was known as a great American short-story writer as well as novelist and humorist. This collection of eighteen of his best short stories, from the well known to the lesser known, displays his mastery of Western humor and frontier realism. The stories also show how Twain earned his place in American letters as a master writer in the authentic native idiom. He was exuberant and irreverent, but underlying the humor was a vigorous desire
...These ten treasured stories from the most influential authors of the 19th and early 20th centuries are selected for their literary importance as well as their dramatic, oral qualities. Includes four stories by Mark Twain, two stories by Stephen Crane, two stories by Ambrose Bierce, and two stories by Jack London.
These ten treasured stories from the most influential authors of the 19th and early 20th centuries are selected for their literary
...