Mark Twain still making headlines after a century

There are two recent happenings that are starting to put the Lincoln of our literature, as Howells put it, into headlines as of late. Tina Fey is receiving the Mark Twain Award For American Humor, for starters. It’s a prestigious award, to be sure. It’s the other news that’s a bit juicier. We have had to wait a hundred years for Mark Twain’s autobiography, which is slated to come out soon.

Tina Fey receives Mark Twain prize

Tina Fey has been named the recipient of the 2010 Mark Twain Award for American Humor. The prize is granted by the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, beginning in 1998. The list of past winners is a who’s who of humor. Past winners include Richard Pryor, Billy Crystal, Lorne Michaels, Neil Simon, Steve Martin and George Carlin. Fey will be the second woman to receive the award, along with Lily Tomlin. Though Tina Fey is deserving, it’s the other Mark Twain news I’d give some instant cash to get the inside scoop on.

The 100 year wait was his idea

As he neared his death, Mark Twain put into his will that his memoirs would not be released until 100 years after he died. Well, Mark Twain (Samuel Longhorn Clemens) died April 21, 1910. It has been 100 years, so it’s high time for his memoirs to finally see the light of day. The collection of memoirs has been in storage, according to CBS, at University of California, Berkeley, for a long time. Some editing is likely necessary, but his autobiography may be out by the end of the year.

Why a century of waiting?

Twain loved having an adoring public, and he didn’t want to sully himself in the public eye with revelations about his views of his personal life. Some of his last works, such as The Mysterious Stranger and Letters From Earth had to be published well over a decade after his death to the work being incredibly dark. The books were pieced together by his editor and published against his daughter’s wishes. The autobiography ought to be riveting, and congratulations are in order to Tina Fey.

Citations:

Mark Twain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain

CBS

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/24/national/main6514831.shtml