Wednesday, August 21, 2013

July Featured Author


AUTHOR OF THE MONTH

Agree or not-to my mind one of the most American Authors of all time is none other than Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by most as



****Mark Twain****

This American Master wrote the classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and its prequel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  Whereas Tom Sawyer’s story was more of a children’s novel, Huck Finn and his exploits dealt with the breadth and depth of what was occurring in the American experience at that time.  Name me another novel that deals with man’s inhumanity to man, child abuse, religious tolerance-bigotry-excess, con artists, murder, and one child’s belief that he must do what is morally right in the face of all odds.  If you have not reread Huck Finn since leaving junior high (which is when most of us were first exposed to Twain), give it another shot.  You will see that the issues that face Huck and Jim in their travels are often those same issues that face us today.

            But Twain is not just a one-hit wonder.  He wrote fiction, humor, non-fiction, newspaper articles, satire, travel literature, science fiction/time travel, political essays, self-help literature, autobiographical books, tall tales….The list is practically endless and almost impossible to thoroughly list as Twain was known to publish under many other pseudonyms-some which have yet to be discovered and may have been overlooked.  Amongst Twain’s stylings you should be able to find something to grab your fancy.  Other Twain choices to consider:

The Prince and the Pauper                                                                            The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County                          A Tramp Abroad

The Diary of Adam and Eve                                                                        Joan of Arc

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court                                     Life on the Mississippi

The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Stories and Essays

 


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