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Drawing on Twain’s bountiful archives, including thousands of letters and hundreds of unpublished manuscripts, Chernow masterfully captures the man whose career reflected the country’s westward expansion, industrialization, and foreign wars, and who was the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

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.

Great book, complicated man.

Why are all of my heroes such weird sad men? What does that say about me? What does that say about life?

Mispronounced "Orion"

It's annoying that reader mispronounces "Orion" throughout. Otherwise enjoy the book & performance. thank you very much

Classic Chernow

Fans of American literature should feel grateful that Chernow took on Mark Twain given the associations and protestations that he elicits today, some for good reason. The scholarship is exemplary, and his writing style is effortless for weaving together a volume of information into a conversational narrative that continues to impress as the hours roll by. One disappointing choice in the audio production lies in the decision for the narrator to affect Southern accents for various people, chiefly Twain. While some may see this as a theatrical flourish or simply to be expected, it is a polarizing choice for such a long audiobook. If this were a 10 hour book, the affected southern drawl would be less of an issue, but this is 44 hours. The audiobook producers should have considered this polarizing choice and scaled back the theatrical style or left it out altogether. It is nearly a dealbreaker, even for a huge Chernow fan.

Outstanding biography of a complex man

Ron Chernow has written a fascinating biography of Mark Twain. He goes into great detail of Twain's public life and published writings, illustrating his points with wonderful Twain quotes.

But Chernow also delves into Twain's much less well known private life, diaries, and correspondence. We get a wonderfully complete portrait of Twain, "warts and all." I can't recommend this book enough.

Excellent book, but please leave out the modern interpretations

This is an excellent book, but it goes to great lengths to judge Mark Twain against modern or contemporary uses of language. One cannot judge historical figures with modern lenses.

The effort to remain politically correct was so over it made it difficult to listen to sometimes. For instance, Mark Twain had a very difficult situation with all his family dying off. He liked to entertain young girls as surrogate grandchildren, but the author goes to great length to talk about how it could be pedophilia. That’s just absurd.

Please just tell the story and don’t judge them through today’s completely screwed up value based lens.

Another Chernow Masterpiece

‘Mark Twain’ again shows why Chernow is my favorite biographical author. He makes you feel like you truly knew Twain personally. I have read innumerable biographies and, compared to books written by other authors, I am usually most touched when Chernow’s subjects die at the end because you feel like you are losing a friend.

I will say this book did drag a little in the middle. Twain’s life was understandably not as interesting or grand as Washington, Hamilton, Grant or Rockefeller (obviously few can compare). So the many mundane personal details seemed a little excessive at times. However, as his life careened to a bizarre and (self-inflected) tragic ending, I realized those earlier details became more important and relevant. All told I’m thankful for the length and detail because now that I’m finished, I’m stuck waiting for Chernow’s next book.

This Mark Twain fan disappointed.

As a Mark Twain and Chernow fan I was looking forward to this biography. But Chernow disappointed me. It is way too long and dwells more on Twains human faults than his literary genius. I have researched Twain for years and read all of his books and many about him...so I knew his flaws. There was nothing new to me in Chernows text. It just repeated itself and was not balanced with Twains briilance. My biggest complaint is the voice actor got Twain voice upside down. The harshness and anger is on top with the humor buried beneath. Twains enduring charm was how he covered his anger with humor. He made us laugh at our faults and short comings. Chernow would tell us how Twain charmed and mesmerized all around him...great and average folks...but he didn't make the effort to show us. Too bad.

An epic achievement by both author and reader.

A wonderfully ambitious and thorough undertaking by the author and an impressive, virtually theatrical performance by the reader! The research and writing of this epic book are seriously impressive achievements, as was the multi-voice, elegant reading, which I found more engaging and entertaining than simply reading text would be.

Fantastic Book on Twain

Every word was carefully thought out and Twain’s life detailed in full. Chernow research’s his works thoroughly and puts together a cohesive life story of a true American original. The audiobook was very well done and enjoyable. I’ve read all of Ron Chernow’s books and have enjoyed them all.