Mark Twain

Mark Twain drew on the raw material of his own childhood experiences to create stories that helped him understand who he had become as an adult and that continue to amuse and challenge readers. In turning his past into literature, he did more than explain himself; he expressed something true about human beings and about the special meaning childhood memories can hold in explaining who people become. Twain returned to Hannibal five times as an adult, and in later years his visits filled him with nostalgia. In April 1882, he wrote that although almost everything in Hannibal had changed, he recognized the mud and was moved to tears. In May 1902, he wrote that when he stepped forward in a crowded church in the afternoon, the entire house rose and applauded so heartily and so long that he had to stand silent for a long minute until he could speak without his voice breaking.

Hannibal, Missouri · United States