Twain in 1906.

It was around this time that the majority of the Autobiography was written
The Autobiography of Mark Twain refers to a lengthy set of reminiscences, dictated, for the
most part, in the last few years of American author Mark Twain's life and left in typescript
and manuscript at his death. The Autobiography comprises a rambling collection of
anecdotes and ruminations rather than a conventional autobiography. Twain never compiled
these writings and dictations into a publishable form in his lifetime. Despite indications from
Twain that he did not want his autobiography to be published for a century, he serialised
some Chapters from My Autobiography during his lifetime and various compilations were
published during the 20th century.[1] However it wasn't until 2010, in the 100th anniversary
year of Twain's death, that the first volume of a comprehensive collection, compiled and
edited by The Mark Twain Project of The Bancroft Library at University of California,
Berkeley, was published.

Twain's writings and dictations Edit

Twain first started to compose an autobiography in 1870, but proceeded fitfully, abandoning
the work and returning to it as the mood took him, amassing around 30-40 of these "false
starts" over the next 35 years.

The bulk of the autobiography was dictated rather than written directly — this was described
by a 2010 reviewer as "[having] a secretary follow him around and take down his every
passing thought".[1] In a 1904 letter to William Dean Howells, he wrote: “I’ve struck it! And I
will give it away—to you. You will never know how much enjoyment you have lost until you
get to dictating your autobiography.”[2] These dictations were made frequently in 1906 and
1907. Twain then seems to have let the book languish; in 1908-9 he hardly added to it at all,
and he declared the project concluded in 1909, after the death of his youngest daughter
Jean. His innovative notion — to “talk only about the thing which interests you for the
moment” — meant that his thoughts could range freely. Twain thought his autobiography
would be most entertaining if he went off on whims and tangents in non-sequential order.[3]

Twain's papers, including the autobiographical works, were left as part of a trust for the
benefit of his surviving daughter, Clara Clemens.[4] These papers passed through the
control of a number of editors, and have, since 1971, been held by The Bancroft Library, at
the University of California, Berkeley.[4]

Plans for posthumous publication Edit

Writings by Twain show intent for the majority of the material to be published posthumously.
In an interview for The Times in 1899, Twain was reported to be considering a work which
would be unpublished for a century.[5]

Twain wrote instructions for future "editors, heirs and assigns" in 1904. In these he
celebrates that posthumous publication allowed him to speak with his "whole frank mind."[6]
These also outlined a century-long plan of publications 25-years apart, with progressively
more potentially controversial material included.[6] In the introduction to the second edition
of Mark Twain's Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review, the
scholar Michael Kiskis suggests that these delays were less due to Twain's (purported)
concern for those who could be aggrieved by the text, and more likely an attempt to extend
the copyright.[6]

Various modern reports refer to a "100 year embargo" imposed by Twain on his own
autobiography's release which expired in 2010.[7]

20th century publications

Mark Twain Project edition

Copyright status

References

External links