Chapters from My Autobiography

Written by Mark Twain

Narrated by Bronson Pinchot

Mark Twain, literary giant, American cultural icon, enigmatic symbol of an unruly era of American history. On his deathbed, his full life lived, he endeavored to tell its story. His innovative strategy was to "talk about the matter which for the moment its interest for me is exhausted." The resulting memoir is not therefore chronological, but rather skips from one point in time to another. Twain called it "a form and method whereby the past and the present are constantly brought face to face, resulting in contrasts which newly fire up the interest all along, like contact of flint with steel." This humorous, sprawling, and utterly captivating memoir captures the spirit of the man who remade American fiction. It is accompanied by a reading of Twain's famous short story, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and includes a printable ebook in PDF format.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Release date: Oct 19, 2010
• ISBN: 9781609980627

Mark Twain

Mark Twain, who was born Samuel L. Clemens in Missouri in 1835, wrote some of the most enduring works of literature in the English language, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc was his last completed book—and, by his own estimate, his best. Its acquisition by Harper & Brothers allowed Twain to stave off bankruptcy. He died in 1910. 

Reviews for Chapters from My Autobiography

[ashryan_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mark Twain dictated his autobiography with the stated intention that it wouldn't be published for 100 years after his death. Accordingly, the first volume (of three) of the first complete edition just came out about a year ago. I intend to begin that soon, but in the meantime I've just finished "Chapters from My Autobiography", selections which were the only parts to be published during Twain's lifetime, in 25 installments in the North American Review in 1906-07.Not a chronological autobiography, but more a free association of (mostly humorous) stories, these chapters still somehow manage to add up to an integrated picture of the man. Early on he relates the death of his middle daughter Suzie at the age of 25, and from that point on quotes from a biography of him she had written about ten years earlier. This provides some structure, as he quotes passages and then elaborates on them or tells a story they remind him of, but it also provides a sort of emotional line, regularly reminding us of Twain's family life besides his professional life.These chapters do jump around a lot, ranging from recollections of his boyhood, to his early attempts at making a living, to becoming a successful writer, to his middle age as a family man, to his old age. The effect is a picture of a whole life, even if it is only in snapshots.And of course, Twain is often very funny, sometimes poignant, and uses language beautifully. Definitely worth reading.