Mark Twain spent most of the last years of his life working on the most important book any author will ever wrote: his autobiography. By all accounts, Twain poured all his remaining energy into the 5,000-page manuscript, but shortly before his death in 1910 he left the manuscript with the University of California with only one condition: the book was not to be published until 100 years after Twain’s death. In November, the first volume of the three-volume autobiography will be released.
So why the long delay? Well, no one’s really sure why Twain wanted the novel delayed. He certainly didn’t hesitate to speak in real life! Maybe he wanted to give his uncensored thoughts on politics, life, and his rumored salacious personal life. Maybe he just wanted to wait until everyone he could talk about was really dead, and not just pretending.
Here’s the theory I like most of all, and I’m not just saying that because I just made it up. Maybe Twain just wanted people to keep talking about him 100 years after his death, and this was the most fun way he could think of to ensure his legacy. That certainly seems like the kind of prank Twain would approve of.
Tags: Mark Twain’s biography to be released 100 years after his death, autobiographies, tell-all books, Mark Twain, Twain’s 5000 page biography to be released, University of California, unusual books, last wishes, Samuel Clemens