November 12, 2009
“The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." -Mark Twain
One hundred years after his death, Mark Twain is "alive and well" by literary standards because he is still being published. Yes, on April 21, 2010, Mark Twain will be gone from this earth for 100 years but not gone from literature lovers.
Aspiring writers can only wish for such good fortune.
In April of 2009, a collection of lost Mark Twain stories was published by HarperStudio keeping Twain's legacy alive. The 24-piece collection of previously unpublished works, gathered by editor Robert Hirst of the University of California, is titled "Who is Mark Twain."
The Los Angeles Times in its book section, "Jacket Copy" wrote on March 5, 2009,
"The author, born Samuel Clemens, was widely published during his lifetime. But when he died in 1910, there was a tremendous amount of material that had never been shared. The publisher HarperStudio says he left behind the largest collection of personal papers created by any 19 th -century American author."
However, Twain might not be too happy about his new book, published in April.
"You had better shove this in the stove," Mark Twain wrote to his brother in 1865, "for I don't want any absurd 'literary remains' and 'unpublished letters of Mark Twain' published after I am planted," according to Allison Flood in the guardian.co.uk on the Web.
I only recently ran across this information while browsing Facebook. There, I saw a Facebook cause "Honoring Mark Twain in 2010, One-Hundred Years After His Death."
As soon as I saw this, I remembered that somewhere in one of the many boxes of memorabilia in our basement, I saved a Life Magazine from 1968 that featured a previously unpublished Twain manuscript.
Needless to say, I went scurrying to the basement to find it. And there it was, preserved quite well.
A quick Google search told me I was not the only one who has a copy. Drat. Turns out that on eBay, one can buy (for only $3.84 with shipping fees of $4.60) the Dec. 20,1968, edition of Life Magazine featuring the unpublished Twain manuscript, "Huck Finn & Tom Sawyer Among the Indians". Not exactly a priceless relic.
Whether worth anything or not, the magazine and manuscript are invaluable to me, even though this particular Twain story was never completed.
As Missourians, we know well Mr. Samuel Langhorne Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain). We understood his love for the Mississippi River; we remember his outrageous tales about the exploits of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn; and, we relish to this day his razor-sharp wit.
It is good to know that his writing will never cease to provide new insight and humor. Such as these oft quoted Twain quips, which are guaranteed to bring a smile today as they did 100 years ago:
