SAMUEL LANGHORNE CLEMENS (1835–1910), better known as Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, lecturer, and writer of both fiction and nonfiction. Designated “the father of American literature” by William Faulkner, Twain is best known for his two great novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain’s keen wit and incisive satire earned him the praise of both critics and peers, as did his sober and often scathing look at the entrenched attitudes of the U.S. society of his day, particularly those relating to slavery and racism.
