Latest news with #Twain


Mint
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Mark Twain was a literary celebrity with a moral compass
Mark Twain. By Ron Chernow. Penguin Press; 1,200 pages; $45. Allen Lane; £40 THE OCTAGONAL study overlooks the green of Elmira College in upstate New York. In it, Mark Twain wrote 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court", along with umpteen other stories, articles and speeches. Twain spent his most productive summers on his wife's family's farm in Elmira, writing by day and reading his work to his wife and children on the porch in the evening. The unusual shape notwithstanding, the study is small, austere and unremarkable—three words that are in every way the opposite of Twain's life. In fact, argues Ron Chernow in a titanic new biography, Twain was 'the largest literary personality that America has produced". He is the first literary figure to receive the Chernow treatment: in the past the Pulitzer-prizewinning biographer has focused on tycoons (John D. Rockefeller), presidents (George Washington) and treasury secretaries (Alexander Hamilton, a book which, improbably, inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit musical). Mr Chernow argues that Twain 'fairly invented our celebrity culture". It is true that Twain's biting wit, along with his oratorical and self-promotional skills, made him a star, as beloved by the crowds who packed into halls to watch him speak as by presidents and the literati. But that is not why generations of American children read him in school, nor why he still deserves to be read today. What he really invented was a way of being American in the world and on the page: bold, irreverent and unpretentious. Twain was the laureate of America's unruly adolescence. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30th 1835, Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri. His father was anxious, stern and, as Mr Chernow notes, 'forbiddingly humourless"; his mother was pious and quick-witted. Like Abraham Lincoln, Twain was a product of the American frontier. What he lacked in formal education he made up for in ambition. Hannibal sits on the banks of the Mississippi river, which, in the pre-railroad days, was perhaps America's most important commercial artery. The river gave the author his name: the cry 'mark twain" from a boatman meant that the river was of safely navigable depth. To him the river represented liberty and a connection to the wider world. In his most famous novel, 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", Huck (the narrator) and Jim (his enslaved companion) were free and relatively equal on the water, but harassed by the law and a host of unsavoury characters on land. Twain's upbringing put him in close contact with black Americans. The Missouri of Twain's youth was a slave state. His father owned and rented people. His mother took a dim view of abolitionism. Yet as a boy Twain enjoyed listening to people telling stories in the 'negro quarter" of his uncle's farm. He became an ardent opponent not just of slavery, but of racial discrimination in almost any form. In his writings he railed against the vile bigotry common in his day and supported women's suffrage long before it was popular. William Dean Howells, Twain's editor at the Atlantic, called him 'the most desouthernised southerner I ever met. No man more perfectly sensed and more entirely abhorred slavery." That abhorrence comes through clearly in 'Huckleberry Finn", from which Ernest Hemingway claimed 'all modern American literature comes". Twain quipped in a preface to the novel that 'Persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot." Both moral and plot are evident in the book. In its celebration of vernacular speech, sympathy with the underdog and lack of pretence, the book created a uniquely American style of fiction. Jim was Twain's most radical creation. Readers today might be put off by his stereotypical dialect, superstition and devotion to Huck, but he was perhaps the first nuanced black character written by a white novelist. Jim is thoughtful and decent, possessed of all the compassion that Huck's own father, an abusive drunkard, never provided, Mr Chernow argues. Once a mainstay of school curricula, in recent years 'Huckleberry Finn" has fallen out of favour. The book is 'banned from most American secondary schools", Mr Chernow writes, 'and its repetitive use of the n-word has cast a shadow over Twain's reputation." But readers who see past the use of that ugly word (common in Twain's time) will find a work that—in its panoply of cruel southern whites blind to Jim's intellect and manifest virtues—shows how bigotry not only harms its victims, but also deforms the people who spout it. Huck yes Mr Chernow devotes curiously little space to the novel. Instead, his biography spends a great deal of its 1,200 pages on topics such as the young Twain's hair-care habits, his opinion on street cleaning in the city of Buffalo and his disappointments later in life. By around page 700 even the most devoted Twainiac may wish the book had a more vigorous editor. Still, Mr Chernow's doorstopper is worth reading for its portrait of an author sure of himself and his gifts, even as he toiled as a steamboat pilot or printer's devil, and its insight into the frenetic, violent, optimistic country that made him. For more on the latest books, films, TV shows, albums and controversies, sign up to Plot Twist, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter


Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
IN PHOTOS: Shania Twain headlines night of music memories at the 2025 Cavendish Beach Music Festival
CAVENDISH, P.E.I. — The Cavendish Beach Music Festival, dubbed Atlantic Canada's biggest outdoor concert, returns this week to Prince Edward Island's north shore. Headlining the three-day event was a July 10 performance by Canadian pop and country star Shania Twain. Besides entertaining the crowd of tens of thousands of fans with her best-known hits like 'Man, I Feel Like a Woman' with its call to action, 'Let's go, girls,' Twain also brought a special donation to a local charity. Also on the main stage July 10 were Josh Ross, Bryan Martin, Sacha, Tony Stevens and The Wild Palominos. The concert weekend continues Saturday and Sunday with more acts, including Tyler Hubbard and Lainey Wilson. Yutaro Sasaki is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter, a position funded by the federal government. He can be reached at ysasaki@ and followed on X @PEyutarosasaki . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .


Edmonton Journal
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Shania Twain on Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf: ‘He's the cutest!'
Article content One of Shania Twain's famous lyrics is, 'That don't impress me much.' Article content In a post on social-media site X on Monday, Twain was singing a much different tune about Calgary Flames rising-star goaltender Dustin Wolf. Article content A person shared a photo of Wolf at the Calgary Stampede chuckwagon races in a 'Let's Go Girls' shirt, the title of another of Twain's chart-topping hits, and the Canadian country-music icon replied: 'He's the cutest!' She even added a heart-eyes emoji. Article content He's the cutest! 😍 — Shania Twain 💎💎💎 (@ShaniaTwain) July 14, 2025 Article content Article content Not surprisingly, that post is racking up likes online. Article content Among the many replies, one fan wrote: 'A freakin' great goalie as well!!! #Flames' Article content Wolf was the runner-up this past season for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year and nearly backstopped the Flames to a surprise playoff berth. Article content The 24-year-old netminder has been hanging around the city for most of the off-season and seemingly was swept up in the excitement of the Calgary Stampede, spotted at both the rodeo and chuckwagon races. Article content Awooo to YAHOO! Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf joined Saddle Bronc Rider Ben Andersen for a little fit check before today's rodeo. We may be partial, but we think Wolfie could spend his summers in the arena and his winters on the ice! 🏒🤠 @NHLFlames @dwolf2332 — Calgary Stampede (@calgarystampede) July 12, 2025


Calgary Herald
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Shania Twain on Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf: ‘He's the cutest!'
One of Shania Twain's famous lyrics is, 'That don't impress me much.' Article content In a post on social-media site X on Monday, Twain was singing a much different tune about Calgary Flames rising-star goaltender Dustin Wolf. Article content A person shared a photo of Wolf at the Calgary Stampede chuckwagon races in a 'Let's Go Girls' shirt, the title of another of Twain's chart-topping hits, and the Canadian country-music icon replied: 'He's the cutest!' She even added a heart-eyes emoji. Article content He's the cutest! 😍 — Shania Twain 💎💎💎 (@ShaniaTwain) July 14, 2025 Article content Not surprisingly, that post is racking up likes online. Article content Among the many replies, one fan wrote: 'A freakin' great goalie as well!!! #Flames' Article content Wolf was the runner-up this past season for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year and nearly backstopped the Flames to a surprise playoff berth. Article content The 24-year-old netminder has been hanging around the city for most of the off-season and seemingly was swept up in the excitement of the Calgary Stampede, spotted at both the rodeo and chuckwagon races. Article content Awooo to YAHOO! Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf joined Saddle Bronc Rider Ben Andersen for a little fit check before today's rodeo. We may be partial, but we think Wolfie could spend his summers in the arena and his winters on the ice! 🏒🤠 @NHLFlames @dwolf2332 — Calgary Stampede (@calgarystampede) July 12, 2025


Ottawa Citizen
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Ottawa Citizen
Bluesfest Day 4: Shania Twain caps off a hot weekend with a rain-free party
Article content In her second Bluesfest performance in three years, Shania Twain promised a party that would make you forget about the world, and then delivered on it. Article content Her rousing performance capped off a successful opening weekend for 31st annual edition of Bluesfest. Attendance was strong, problems were few and the weather was consistently hot and humid. The thunderstorms that were predicted Sunday never did produce more than a few drops of rain at LeBreton Flats Park. Article content Article content It was a big weekend for country fans, with a program that included shows by hot new artists Lainey Wilson, Red Clay Strays and Canada's Dead South taking place before the return of Twain, one of the biggest country singers of all time. Article content Article content Article content Backed by a mostly female band and performing for a crowd full of cowgirls, Twain plunged into the pop-rock end of the pool, grabbing attention fast. The country-pop superstar broke out of the starting gate with Rock This Country, giving it an extra rhythmic thump that turned heads across the site. Article content From there, it was hit after hit, from Don't Be Stupid to Waking up Dreaming to Up! and I'm Gonna Getcha Good, all ridiculously catchy and played with maximum energy by her skilled band, which included Canadians Kendel Carson on fiddle and Lindsay Ell on guitar. Article content In a white shirt over black sequined shorts and silver boots, the fit 59-year-old who grew up in Timmins might have missed a note or two in the first couple of songs, but it was forgivable. After all, her multi-tasking was impressive — she not only kept the pace up while singing her lungs out but also connected with fans along the way. Article content Article content Between tunes, Twain was relaxed and curious as she bantered with some of the most fervent devotees up front, including an engaged couple, a pair of birthday folks and two seven-year-old girls on their fathers' shoulders. Article content At Twain's insistence, the youngsters were ferried up to the stage for a cute and funny exchange with the star, who didn't immediately remember the lyrics to Brand New, the girls' favourite song. But with help from a kind soul with a smartphone in the audience, they managed to eke out a few lines. Article content Twain's acoustic guitar came out for the love song, Still The One, but when she went for her cowboy hat, the gears shifted again, revving up for a countrified stretch that included Giddy Up! and Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under, followed by a bluegrass breakdown on Honey I'm Home and the rocking Don't Impress Me Much.