DID YOU KNOW?
Mark Twain Riverboat in Hannibal, Missouri
In 1889, Twain published “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court,” a science-fiction/historical novel about ancient England. His next major work, in 1894, was “The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson,” a somber novel that some observers described as "bitter." He also wrote short stories, essays, and several other books, including a study of Joan of Arc.
Twain's last 15 years were filled with public honors, including degrees from Oxford and Yale. Probably the most famous American of the late 19th century, he was much photographed and applauded wherever he went. Indeed, he was one of the most prominent celebrities in the world, traveling widely overseas, including a successful 'round-the-world lecture tour in 1895-96, undertaken to pay off his debts.
Twain's financial failings, reminiscent in some ways of his father's, had serious consequences for his state of mind. They contributed powerfully to growing pessimism in him, a deep-down feeling that human existence is a cosmic joke perpetrated by a chuckling God.
Now, "Much of the last decade of his life, he lived in hell," wrote Hamlin Hill. He wrote a fair amount but was unable to finish most of his projects. His memory faltered. Twain suffered volcanic rages and nasty bouts of paranoia, and he experienced many periods of depressed
But while those years were gilded with awards, they also brought him much anguish. Early in their marriage, he and Livy had lost their toddler son, Langdon, to diphtheria; then in 1896, his favorite daughter, Susy, died at the age of 24 of spinal meningitis. The loss broke his heart, and adding to his grief, he was out of the country when it happened. His youngest daughter, Jean was diagnosed with severe epilepsy. In 1909, when she was 29 years old, Jean died of a heart attack. For many years, Twain's relationship with their middle daughter Clara was distant and full of quarrels.
In June 1904, while Twain traveled, Livy died after a long illness. But absent or not, throughout 34 years of marriage, Twain had indeed loved his wife. "Wheresoever she was, there was Eden," he wrote in tribute to her. Twain became somewhat bitter in his later years, even while projecting an amiable persona to his public. In private he demonstrated a stunning insensitivity to friends and loved ones.