After a century, Mark Twain is still making news

Mark Twain, the giant upon whose shoulders all American literature rests, is back in the headlines for some recent developments. For starters, Tina Fey has won the Mark Twain Award For American Humor. 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.

Mark Twain prize goes to Tina Fey

Tina Fey has been named the recipient of the 2010 Mark Twain Award for American Humor. The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts began awarding the it in 1998. The list of winners is impressive. Past winners include Richard Pryor, Billy Crystal, Lorne Michaels, Neil Simon, Steve Martin and George Carlin. Besides Tina Fey, only one other woman has ever won, that being 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.

Twain ordered the 100-year wait

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. They’ll likely be published by the end of the year, though there will probably have to be some editing.

Why a century of waiting?

Mark Twain loved being a public figure, and he didn’t want his reputation to suffer. 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 actually published against his daughter’s wishes, pieced together by his editor. The autobiography ought to be riveting, and congratulations are in order to Tina Fey.

Additional information at these websites:

Mark Twain

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

CBS

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