4 things you didn’t know about your favourite author Mark Twain
There are not too many fiction lovers who haven’t grown up reading Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Twain, an all-time favourite among kids, wrote several short stories, essays and books throughout his illustrious career. His actual name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. However, apart from his fictions, he can be credited for creating new products such as the adjustable garment strap (1871), a scrapbook with pre-gummed pages (1873) and some board games (1885). Here are some more fascinating, yet lesser-known facts about the literary genius.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn took seven years to complete!
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was the sequel to Twain’s 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. After finishing 400 pages of the sequel, he admitted to a friend that he only moderately loved the work so far and might destroy the book! But he didn’t. After putting the project on hold for several years, he eventually finished it in 1883 thanks to a flash of inspiration! The masterpiece which he had started in 1876, took 7 years to complete. But do you think the character in the book, Huckleberry Finn is a product of Mark Twain's imagination? Or an actual person? Well, Twain once confessed that Huckleberry Finn was actually based on a person named Tom Blankenship who was also Twain’s childhood friend.
The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is based on a story Twain heard in a bar
Twain was a man of many interests. One of his rather unusual interests was gold hunting. One of his gold-finding expeditions even led to a famous book! In 1864, Twain set out to seek gold in Calaveras County, California. But he was unsuccessful. While there, he overheard a bartender in telling the tale of a frog-jumping competition. That tale motivated Twain to narrate the story in his own words! That is how. The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (initially known as Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog) came into being. It was officially published by The New York Saturday Press in 1865.
He is one of history's most misquoted authors
There is a good chance Mark Twain did not say what you believe he did! He is one of the most misquoted writers in history. One quotation falsely attributed to him reads, ‘It is better to keep your lips shut and look ignorant than to open it and erase all doubt’. But what Twain actually said was ‘[He] was born with a stupidity that by the slightest stretch would go around the world four times and tie’. Much different, right? Another quote that is always misquoted under his name is this: ‘I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.’ This quote is actually coined by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher.
Twain predicted the time of his death (and it was true!)
When it came to his death, Mark Twain was spot on! He was born on 30 November 1835, just a few weeks after Halley’s Comet was the closest to the sun. Twain predicted that he would pass away the next time it appeared in the sky, which happens about every 75 years. He had said in 1909, “I arrived in 1835 with Halley’s Comet. I anticipate leaving with it since it will return the following year. If I do not go out with Halley’s Comet, it will be the biggest disappointment of my life.” Call him psychic if you will, but Twain died at his Connecticut home on 21st April,1910, one day after Halley’s Comet was the nearest to the sun! Crazy but true.