Twain and Olivia had three daughters, Susy, Clara and Jean, and one son, Langdon. These connections deeply influenced Twain’s later political outlook, remaining firmly anti-imperialist, anti-organised religion, an abolitionist and a steady supporter of the labour movement. Through Olivia, Twain met many prominent liberals, socialists and political activists, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, the abolitionist and author, as well as the utopian socialist, William Dean Howells. Upon Langdon showing a picture of his sister Olivia to Twain, Twain claimed to have fallen in love with her at first sight. Five years later, Twain married Olivia Langdon, the sister of Charles Langdon, a man whom Twain met on a trip to the Middle East. This was a humorous tale based on a story heard at a mining camp in California, and won Twain international attention. After a brief, unsuccessful, spell mining in Nevada and California, twain returned to writing – penning The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County in 1865. It was here that Twain started writing, contributing articles to his older brother, Orion’s newspaper. Twain spent most of his childhood in Hannibal, Missouri, which provided the inspirational setting for much of his later works. His wit and satire endeared him to peers and critics alike. Hailed as ‘the Father of American literature’ by William Faulkner, Twain was a friend of presidents, performers, entrepreneurs and royalty. He is best known for the novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter often referred to as ‘the Great American Novel’. He was born the day after a visit by Halley’s Comet, and died the day following its subsequent return in 1910. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pseudonym Mark Twain, was born on 30 November, 1835 in Florida, Missouri, USA.
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