Tongue -in-cheek teller of tall tales, Mark Twain went west in 1861, which is, coincidentally, the time period of my work in progress.
He had poor luck mining, but his wry, witty, writings under the nom de plume, “Josh” caught the attention of an editor who offered to pay what was considered good money for the time.
Some say “mark twain” was his bar cry–to chalk up two on his oft substantial tab. He claimed it was the name of a riverboat captain and writer.
Unlikely, as it seems to have been his nom de plume as a younger man when he and confederate comrades had things to say about changing the compass so north no longer was of note.
In sailing terms, “mark twain” calls out shallow depth, and yet riverboats could do it. It seems a clever and perfect play on words for his writings.
And yet, amidst his witticisms, words of depth and rawness made it onto the page, whether people agreed or found it offensive.
We may never know the truth behind his nom de plume, but even as a child, I read between satirical lines and equal opportunity barbs to find a world as foreign as Star Trek and, adventures true to the soul as, well…north.
This has been your highly literary and historical Tuesday Trivia Tidbit.