Chasing the Last Laugh: Mark Twain's Raucous and Redemptive Round-the-World Comedy Tour
by Richard Zacks
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Description
"From Richard Zacks, bestselling author of The Pirate Hunter and Island of Vice, a rich and lively account of Mark Twain's late-life adventures abroad In 1895, at age sixty, Mark Twain was dead broke and miserable--his recent novels had been critical and commercial failures, and he was bankrupted by his inexplicable decision to run a publishing company. His wife made him promise to pay every debt back in full, so Twain embarked on an around-the-world comedy lecture tour that would take him show more from the dusty small towns of the American West to the faraway lands of India, South Africa, Australia, and beyond. Richard Zacks' rich and entertaining narrative provides a portrait of Twain as complicated, vibrant individual, and showcases the biting wit and skeptical observation that made him one of the greatest of all American writers. Twain remained abroad for five years, a time of struggle and wild experiences -- and ultimately redemption, as he rediscovered his voice as a writer and humorist, and returned, wiser and celebrated. As he said in his famous reply to an article about his demise, "the report of my death is an exaggeration." Weaving together a trove of sources, including newspaper accounts, correspondence, and unpublished material from Berkeley's ongoing Twain Project, Zacks chronicles a chapter of Twain's life as complex as the author himself, full of foolishness and bad choices, but also humor, self-discovery, and triumph"-- show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Zacks' book tells the story behind Mark Twain's round-the-world tour, a desperate attempt to pay off his business debts which resulted in the book "Following the Equator". Zacks tells a fascinating and illuminating story that begins with Twain's inability to make a sound business investment and ends with his redemption through hard work at what he was best at and the good offices of friends with more business savvy. Luck plays a role, too.
Fantastic book about a part of Twain's life I knew little about, his get out of debt, take it on the road, tour of the world. Really interesting, and enjoyable reading. I took my time with the is one in order to not miss a sentence or detail. Extremely well researched, and for something so detailed, highly readable. Loved it!
A very close look at this specific and defining period in Twain's life. Well-written and enjoyable.
Very interesting bio about a very interesting man and his travels. A lot of historical information about the many countries that he traveled.
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Author Information
7 Works 3,553 Members
Classifications
- Genres
- Literature Studies and Criticism, Biography & Memoir, Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 818.409 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American miscellaneous writings in English Later 19th Century 1861-1900
- LCC
- PS1334 .Z33 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Individual authors 19th century
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 130
- Popularity
- 250,712
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.94)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 2
