Mark Twain's autobiography to be published 100 yrs after his death (writing, great)

[bs13690]

After keeping us waiting for a century, Mark Twain will finally reveal all - News, Books - The Independent

From excerpts in this article, he seems like kind of a nut.

[RDSLOTS]

Big fan of Mark Twain, that I am, I will certainly want to read his autobiography. How much more revealing to get IT from the source, no? Having read many of his works, and used them, along bits of biographies about the quintessential American writer, I am not in the least surprised that there will be things revealed that he may not have wanted shared in his lifetime, or to have revealed during his daughters'. He could be quite 'biting,' and in much of his humor lies ugly truths about the times. His satire still stings.

I still laugh at some of his ridiculous, almost slap-stick, shorter pieces. One of my favorites is his Interview with a Reporter -- Hal Holbrook does a great job with it in his stints as Twain. I still think Twain's criticism of journalists would stand up today when I consider some of the inane questions I hear reporters ask; for example, in an interview with one who has lost a family member, to ask something like "how did it feel when you got the news your _?_ had been murdered? (or the body found, or *whatever*)." When did we, as a reading public, ever get it into our heads we had a right to know-it-all, or it was a journalist's job to reveal, or print, it all?

There was a lot to Twain, and I am curious to see what he shares of himself and his views. I expect to be surprised in some ways, but not in others, when I consider his works and the stances he often took then.

[golfgod]

A couple of months ago I started a thread about "Man In White" about the last 3 1/2 years of Twain's life.

"Twain And Grant" (or maybe "Grant And Twain") is another great read. How Twain convinced Grant to allow him to publish Grant's autobiography saving BOTH families from financial ruin.

I've read most everything Twain ever wrote, most of it multiple times. I still consider "Criticism of James Fennimore Cooper" to be one of the funniest pieces of American writing ever.

"The Death Of Jean" is the saddest.

I anxiously await this book's release and will probably buy it instead of getting it at the library.