Mark Twain

De: Ron Chernow

Narrado por: Jason Culp

The #1 New York Times Bestseller!

“Comprehensive, enthralling . . . Mark Twain flows like the Mississippi River, its prose propelled by Mark Twain’s own exuberance.”—The Boston Globe

“Chernow writes with such ease and clarity . . . For all its length and detail, [Mark Twain] is deeply absorbing throughout.”—The Washington Post

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow illuminates the full, fascinating, and complex life of the writer long celebrated as the father of American literature, Mark Twain

Before he was Mark Twain, he was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Born in 1835, the man who would become America’s first, and most influential, literary celebrity spent his childhood dreaming of piloting steamboats on the Mississippi. But when the Civil War interrupted his career on the river, the young Twain went west to the Nevada Territory and accepted a job at a local newspaper, writing dispatches that attracted attention for their brashness and humor. It wasn’t long before the former steamboat pilot from Missouri was recognized across the country for his literary brilliance, writing under a pen name that he would immortalize.

In this richly nuanced portrait of Mark Twain, acclaimed biographer Ron Chernow brings his considerable powers to bear on a man who shamelessly sought fame and fortune, and crafted his persona with meticulous care. After establishing himself as a journalist, satirist, and lecturer, he eventually settled in Hartford with his wife and three daughters, where he went on to write The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He threw himself into the hurly-burly of American culture, and emerged as the nation’s most notable political pundit. At the same time, his madcap business ventures eventually bankrupted him; to economize, Twain and his family spent nine eventful years in exile in Europe. He suffered the death of his wife and two daughters, and the last stage of his life was marked by heartache, political crusades, and eccentric behavior that sometimes obscured darker forces at play.

Drawing on Twain’s bountiful archives, including thousands of letters and hundreds of unpublished manuscripts, Chernow masterfully captures the man whose career reflected the country’s westward expansion, industrialization, and foreign wars, and who was the most important white author of his generation to grapple so fully with the legacy of slavery. Today, more than one hundred years after his death, Twain’s writing continues to be read, debated, and quoted. In this brilliant work of scholarship, a moving tribute to the writer’s talent and humanity, Chernow reveals the magnificent and often maddening life of one of the most original characters in American history.

©2025 Ron Chernow (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Chernow writes with such ease and clarity . . . For all its length and detail, [Mark Twain] is deeply absorbing throughout.”—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

“A rollicking and comprehensive portrait of Samuel Clemens, otherwise known as Mark Twain, the humorist and orator who turned a frontiersman’s wit into an American legacy.”—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair

“Chernow’s biography avoids the trap of idolizing Twain and gives an honest assessment of the author’s life, including his flaws and contradictions . . . Chernow’s willingness to give readers the unvarnished truth about Twain makes the biography stand out, as does his ability to simultaneously explore the historical and literary context of Twain’s writing . . . The recurring theme of Chernow’s biography is Twain’s love affair with the written word, and it ably demonstrates the impact that relationship had on a nation.”—Associated Press

A Masterpiece of Biographical Literature

This one is a real treat for anyone who loves biographies. There is so much more to mark twain than tom sawyer and huckleberry Finn. He was a genuinely good man, though certainly flawed, and lived an extraordinary and interesting life. Even with a 9th grade education and no formal training, he possessed an almost inherent ability to write and speak as gifted as any literary scholar of the time. Ron Chernow deserves all the accolades available for this book and will hopefully be recognized.

Pretty long

I love Chernow’s books, including this one, but thought this one got a little longer than it needed to be. Twain had a complicated and, I think, sad life and was a complex man who treated many of those around him poorly. This biography made me like him a little less than I did before reading the book. It’s worth a read for the simple fact that it shows how much a man’s public image can differ from the private life he’s leading.
The reader quoted Twain using a voice that sounded like what I suspected he would, and I did enjoy that.

A Towering Figure

Ron Chernow has produced an epic masterpiece of biography. The audio performance is exemplary. What a treasure.

Another great book

Yes the book is long. But I happen to like long books. He takes me back in time and there's so much research left behind about this man. Every life is a story. Every one of his books for me tells me their story. Since I read Rockefeller,I have read all his books and look forward to his next Book.

Mark Twain stood for so much more than I realized

The 44 hours, though daunting, were so well-read and so interesting that time flew by. The author does not minimize Twain‘s flaws, but makes him very human. The last quarter of his life was unknown to me, but so interesting.

Well-researched and detailed

The book thoroughly describes Twain's personality, family hardshups, and financial woes. If you want to know every aspect of Twain's life, this is the book for you. However, the book would have benefited with less exploration of some aspects of his life, and a greater focus on literary criticism.

Exceptional

Mark Twain

By Ron Chernow

I have previously read Ron Chernow’s biography of Ulysses S. Grant, which I now see as the most even handed, authoritative account of Grant’s life. It is no surprise to me that Chernow found it necessary to write Mark Twain’s life, as Grant and Twain’s lives, beyond all reason, became intertwined.
I learned a great deal I did not know about Samuel Clemons. His path and maturation is almost a mirror of the same for America. He started life with pre Civil War southern racism, and ended it quite the opposite. He dealt with depression and self doubt, which you do not find evidenced in his writings. His family life was worthy of Peyton Place, and he was accused of pedophilia in his later years.
You will not find more than incidental references to his books, as the focus is more his life than a bibliography.
Very interesting and worth the time.

Story of a life in real time

Don’t get me wrong, this was an enjoyable read. But beware, consumed in no more than three sittings, Mark Twain will fulfill his life-after-death expectation in you!

Another home run

Very enjoyable I strongly recommended this book maybe there was a little bit too much detail about

Ron Chernow does it again!

I read a negative review of this book in the NYT Book Review, but having listened to other books by Chernow, I was not deterred.
I am so glad I wasn't. I learned so much about Twain and his family, etc. The reader did a great job voicing all of the many people in Twain's life.