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Mark Twain: Wild Humorist of the West Audiobook
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The fascinating life of storyteller and humorist Mark Twain is revealed in this one man performance based on Twain's writings. The early years of Samuel Clemens, the Mississippi River experiences, and his move to the silver mining area of Nevada are portrayed by exuberant actor McAvoy Layne. Some of the most famous tales, from The Blue Jay Yarn to The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County are woven into the history of this most colorful author. Amusing stories from Letters from the Sandwich Islands and questions from the live audience conclude this delightful performance.
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“Layne, who compiled this one-man show from Twain’s writings, has just the right touch to bring this legendary author alive. And the audience laughter and interaction from this 1995 performance help the audio experience.”
— AudioFile
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“Layne sparkles with energy and wit and gives us a splendid look at this colorful character...Serious students of Twain and his art, as well as just-for-fun listeners, are sure to enjoy this recording.”
— Kliatt
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About Mark Twain
Mark Twain, pseudonym of Samuel L. Clemens (1835–1910), was born in Florida, Missouri, and grew up in Hannibal on the west bank of the Mississippi River. He attended school briefly and then at age thirteen became a full-time apprentice to a local printer. When his older brother Orion established the Hannibal Journal, Samuel became a compositor for that paper and then, for a time, an itinerant printer. With a commission to write comic travel letters, he traveled down the Mississippi. Smitten with the riverboat life, he signed on as an apprentice to a steamboat pilot. After 1859, he became a licensed pilot, but two years later the Civil War put an end to the steam-boat traffic.
In 1861, he and his brother traveled to the Nevada Territory where Samuel became a writer for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, and there, on February 3, 1863, he signed a humorous account with the pseudonym Mark Twain. The name was a river man’s term for water “two fathoms deep” and thus just barely safe for navigation.
In 1870 Twain married and moved with his wife to Hartford, Connecticut. He became a highly successful lecturer in the United States and England, and he continued to write.
About McAvoy Layne
McAvoy Layne has performed as a Mark Twain impressionist from Piper’s Opera in Virginia City, Nevada, to Leningrad University in Russia. A specialist in Twain’s Western years, he is the author of the biography Hooked on Twain and portrays Twain in the Discovery Channel’s celebrated documentary The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.