Mark Twain (1835-1910) didn't actually write an autobiography. That is to say, he wrote -- and dictated -- many things over the last forty years of his life that he characterized as part of that great undertaking, but they were disjointed, incomplete, and ultimately left scattered amongst his other papers. He also provided contradictory instructions for how the project should be published, some of which called for an entire century's port-mortem delay, although he nevertheless released several chapters himself during his own lifetime.

It's a problem for a scholar to tackle, and this particular version from 1959 opts to include most of the material, organized roughly chronologically. (Two previous efforts in 1924 and 1940 cut more of the chaff and were arranged by approximate date of writing and by topic, respectively. A three-volume edition put out in 2010 purports to be exhaustive, though that entails lumping in plenty of clearly non-biographical fragments.) Yet even with the impositions of an editor -- and thus removed from the original intellect, no matter how well-meaning or rigorous -- the writer's wit and garrulous charm shine through. The whole work lacks polish and can't exactly claim to be authoritative, but in a way I suppose that's only befitting the folksy Samuel Clemens brand.

It is not, one assumes, a strictly factual account. Twain is too playful a storyteller for that, and so while it's interesting to hear him discuss for example the childhood inspiration behind certain Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn moments, he openly admits at other turns that he's never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn. He's also hyper-aware of his writing as a legacy meant to outlive him, commenting at one point, "I am saying these vain things in this frank way because I am a dead person speaking from the grave. Even I would be too modest to say them in life. I think we never become really and genuinely our entire and honest selves until we are dead—and not then until we have been dead years and years. People ought to start dead and then they would be honest so much earlier."

Deviously clever yet outwardly self-effacing: that's this author for you. He's a consummate entertainer as he relates his early adventures, family ties, and various career foibles, perennially rambling away from his present subject in pursuit of a greater laugh elsewhere. Those bons mots are no less funny for the passage of time; if anything the conversational style and slightly archaic diction allow each successive punchline more room to sneak up on a modern reader. One of my favorites comes as he describes his small hometown of Florida, Missouri: "I was born there in 1835. The village contained a hundred people and I increased the population by 1 percent. It is more than many of the best men in history could have done for a town. It may not be modest in me to refer to this, but it is true. There is no record of a person doing as much⁠—not even Shakespeare. But I did it for Florida, and it shows that I could have done it for any place⁠—even London, I suppose."

At times the mood grows somber, as when he discusses the passing of his wife and daughters, and the specter of his own mortality certainly looms large over those sections. But overall the effect is of a dazzling conversationalist regaling us with the tallest of tales, some of which may perhaps bear some slight resemblance to his actual recollections.

[Content warning for slavery and racism including slurs.]

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Uno tiene la imagen de un Mark Twain irónico, gracioso, ocurrente,... Sus citas suyas son un recurso frecuente y uno solo espera encontrar un libro a la altura. Para empezar no es una autobiografía al uso. Es más bien una recopilación de anécdotas personales dispuestas de forma desordenada escritas por un Mark Twain amargado, triste y con pocas muestras del autor lúcido y brillante que fue antaño.

He was amusing and charming as hell...about 5% of the time.

An extraordinary life and book. This book was dictated in the final years of his life, and I felt like I was sitting in front of Mark Twain and hearing him tell me his story as a friend would. I laughed and got choked up multiple times as I read about his triumphs, misadventures, and losses. It was very interesting to see how many famous stories of his were directly taken from his own life or the lives of those he knew. The structure is unlike any other autobiography I've read, as it follows a generally chronological timeline, but deviates from this course at will and occasionally breaks up the narrative with excerpts from letters and diaries. A fascinating book for any fan of Twain or American history.

I’ve wanted to read this for a long time, and I’m glad I finally did! I already loved Mark Twain, and reading this did nothing but deepen my affection both toward his writing and the kind of man he was. I was particularly touched by the affection with which he wrote about his wife and daughters, and I adored how he frequently used sections of his daughter Susy’s “biography” of him that she wrote as a child as a jumping-off point for his recollections. Beautiful, funny, touching, and wholly entertaining. It deserves all the stars.

Having read most of Mark Twain’s work, I eagerly anticipated the release of his autobiography. Unfortunately, it bore virtually no resemblance to his other work that I had loved: little wit or charm, few characters to connect with, no common threads holding it all together. The anecdotes in the Autobiography of Mark Twain, at least those in volume one, appeared to be random recollections, presented in no certain order, and in very dry prose. As I read, I felt it must get better, that surely the next page, the next story would be the one to turn the tide in favor of the book. Half-way through the 700+ page tome, I closed the book for the last time and returned it to the library, unfinished.

Twain fans would certainly enjoy this book.

Deep dove on all things Mark Twain. Fascinating life that ended sadly after all other of his dear ones had died. But he lives on in his still apt observations on life, travel, politics, and humans at their quirkiest.

When it was good it was very very good but when it was bad it was boring af.

Reading about Mark Twain is a great way to learn more about his work. He went through a lot of stuff, like first born son he had a lot of guilt on how he died. Then when his daughter started to write a biography about him it inspired this piece. That he has for a long time believed that in an auto-biography you must tell the embarrassing stories and make you sound human.

أعرف شخصًا يظهر كم البساطة بداخله للعالم الخارجي على نحو معقد، لحتى أنه قد ينفر من يحادثه منه لأول وهلة. على العكس من ذلك، يظهر أمامي مارك توين، الرجل الذي تمنيت أن أخير لين عدة من عِظام الأشخاص لألتقيهم، بحيث يكون مارك توين لأختاره من بينهم، والذي يمتلك قدرة فائقة على إظهار ما يعتمل في نفسه وعقله من أمور يبلغ بها التعقيد أقصاه بكم من البساطة يوازي حجم ما تشتمل عليه من تعقيد.
رباه، حتى الموت يذكره بكم من البساطة يوحي بألم مبرح يغمره الرضا!

وفي الابتعاد عن بقية العالم من الراحة والرضا ما لا يوجد إلا في الأحلام.
يقول هذا السيد صموئيل كلينسون، أو مارك توين كما اختار أن يطلق على نفسه، والذي توالت عليه المصائب طوال حياته وكأنها عقاب لمشاكسته في طفولته، فيما يبدو أمرًا طبيعيًّا في الواقع، وعندما تبدأ أحواله في التحسن،ترحل ابنته الصغيرة سوزي، ثم زوجته بعد صراع من المرض استمر لحولين كاملين، ثم جين، ابنته، التي لم يتحمل أن يحضر مراسم دفنها حين اشتد عليه الأمر بذهابها هي الأخرى، ومع ذلك، فقد تقبل الأمر برضا، وتقبل أن يأنس بأرواح من رحلوا.
لك أن تتخيل أن تنشر الجريدة خبرًا فكاهيًا بقلم مارك توين في نفس الصفحة التي ينشر فيها خبر وفاة ابنته.

أظن أن حديث سوزي عن أبيها لهو أهم من حديثي الآن، فقد بدأت كتابة سيرته في سن مبكرة جدًّا، وهاك ما تقول :

n  " نحن عائلة سعيدة جدًّا. تتكون عائلتنا منا أنا وبابا وماما وجين وكلارا. إن بابا هو من أكتب عنه، ولن أجد عناء في معرفة ما سأقول عنه؛ لأنه شخصية مدهشة جدًّا.
لقد وصفوا أبي مرات كثيرة، ولكنها كانت أوصافًا خاطئة جدًّا. لديه شعر أشيب جميل، ليس شديد الكثافة ولا شديد الطول، فهو في الشكل المناسب. أنفه ذو شكل روماني، وهو يزيد من جمال تقاسيم وجهه بشكل كبير. عيونه زرقاء جميلة، وشاربه قصير. له رأس رائع الشكل، ومظهره جميل جدًّا. باختصار، هو رجل حسن الشكل إلى درجة كبيرة. بشرته شقراء وليس له ذقن. إنه رجل فاضلٌ جدًّا ومُسلٍّ جدًّا. وهو رجل حاد، ولكننا جميعًا كذلك في هذه العائلة. إنه أحسن رجل رأيته في حياتي، وأفضل رجل يمكن أن أراه - آه،إنه شارد الذهن دائمًا. وهو يروي لنا قصصًا في منتهى الجمال...
بابا لديه طريقة خاصة في المشي، وتبدو مناسبة له تمامًا، ولكن غالبية الناس ليست كذلك. وهو دائمًا يمشي إلى الأمام وإلى الخلف في الغرفة أثناء التفكير وبين أوقات الطعام...
يستخدم بابا لغة قوية جدًّا، ولكن ليس لدي معلومات أكيدة بخصوص الوقت الذي تزوج فيه ماما. هناك سيدة من معارفه تقاطع الآخرين عندما يتكلمون. وقد قال بابا لماما إنه يعتقد أن عليه أن يقول لزوج تلك السيدة : إنني مسرور لأن زوجتك لم تكن موجودة حين أمر الله بأن يكون النور. "n

يقول مارك توين : قبل ثلاثة عشر عامًا فقدت سوزي، ثم فقدت والدتها قبل خمس سنوات ونصف السنة، والدتها التي لا يوجد لها مثيل بين النساء! وبعد ذلك ذهبت كلارا لتعيش بعيدًا في أوروبا. والآن خسرت جين. ما أشد فقري، أنا الذي كنت يومًا شديد الغنى!
كان عمري أربعة وسبعين عامًا قبل أربعة وعشرين يومًا. يوم أمس كان عمري أربعة وسبعين عامًا، فهل يستطيع أحد أن يقدر عمري اليوم؟

...

I read a biography of Mr. Twain because I was curious about the man. In it I learned that he published the "Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant", which I then read. And, just to see how he himself wrote it, I then read this, his autobiography.

Are all the facts there? Are facts shoved around and bent for his nefarious purposes? Who cares! This is another great read from one of America's best writers of any century. A master of imagery and tale-telling, Clemens makes his life a pleasant read for all.