Overview

In this magisterial full-scale biography of America’s greatest storyteller and satirist, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Fred Kaplan refashions our image of Mark Twain and etches a vibrant portrait of a singular personality who created some of the most memorable literary characters of our culture. He coined the phrase “the Gilded Age,” spoke out vigorously against racism and imperialism, and in his multifaceted singularity as writer, businessman, polemicist, investor, inventor, and self-promoter became the most widely extolled and most dominant icon of American literature. As Kaplan writes, “There has been no one like him since.”

Full Product Details

9781400095278

Table of Contents

Reviews

The clearest, most comprehensive portrait yet. . . . It is almost unprecedented for a truly definitive biography of a writer of Mark Twain's stature to appear after so many years, but here it is. - The Philadelphia Inquirer <br> A singularly excellent biography. - The New York Sun <br> A real contribution to what we know of the writer who made the American language safe for literature. . . . A great glory of information. - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution <br> 'Singular' Twain is doubly good reading. - Fort Worth Star-Telegram <br> An even-handed narrative, fully aware of all the biographical and critical currents at work . . . but owing allegiance to no particular theoretical or psychological school of criticism. - Richmond Times-Dispatch <br> A delightful read and a storehouse of information and ideas that will be consulted for generations. - Portland Sunday Telegram <br> Refreshing. . . . Full of new material. - St. Louis Post-Dispatch <br> Lively. . . . Clemens feels whole because Kaplan takes the time to show him in so many different settings and situations. - The Oregonian <br> Comprehensive. . . . Thoroughly researched. . . . Highly readable. - Fort Worth Star-Telegram <br> A vividly detailed account. . . . Kaplan clearly shows the connection between Twain's writing and the people and events that surrounded his life. - Library Journal <br> Utimately, Kaplan's major contribution may be in what he has taken out of the Twain mythology. No longer will Twain be referred to as an inspired primitive. - Houston Chronicle <br> [Kaplan] has researched more fully and completely than any other has been able to do before. . . . Deeply detailed . . . rich withanecdote, facts and the humor that filled the man we have come to know as Mark Twain. - Wichita Falls Times Record News

The clearest, most comprehensive portrait yet. . . . It is almost unprecedented for a truly definitive biography of a writer of Mark Twain's stature to appear after so many years, but here it is. - The Philadelphia Inquirer A singularly excellent biography. - The New York Sun A real contribution to what we know of the writer who made the American language safe for literature. . . . A great glory of information. - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 'Singular' Twain is doubly good reading. - Fort Worth Star-Telegram An even-handed narrative, fully aware of all the biographical and critical currents at work . . . but owing allegiance to no particular theoretical or psychological school of criticism. - Richmond Times-Dispatch A delightful read and a storehouse of information and ideas that will be consulted for generations. - Portland Sunday Telegram Refreshing. . . . Full of new material. - St. Louis Post-Dispatch Lively. . . . Clemens feels whole because Kaplan takes the time to show him in so many different settings and situations. - The Oregonian Comprehensive. . . . Thoroughly researched. . . . Highly readable. - Fort Worth Star-Telegram A vividly detailed account. . . . Kaplan clearly shows the connection between Twain's writing and the people and events that surrounded his life. - Library Journal Utimately, Kaplan's major contribution may be in what he has taken out of the Twain mythology. No longer will Twain be referred to as an inspired primitive. - Houston Chronicle [Kaplan] has researched more fully and completely than any other has been able to do before. . . . Deeply detailed . . . rich with anecdote, facts and the humor that filled the man we have come to know as Mark Twain. - Wichita Falls Times Record News

Author Information

Fred Kaplan is Distinguished Professor of English Literature at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He is the author of the critically acclaimed biographies Gore Vidal, Henry James, Dickens, and Thomas Carlyle, which was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award and a Pulitzer Prize. He has held Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, and was a Fellow of the National Humanities Center. He lives in Boothbay, Maine.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available