MARK TWAIN-Fresh As The Day It Was Written

[kpete]

Fresh As The Day It Was Written

by digby


The Newshour got an exclusive look at a very special treasure: an unseen manuscript from America's greatest writer, Mark Twain. And it's on a subject of great interest at the moment -- journalism, specifically "the interview:"

"Concerning the 'Interview.'"

No one likes to be interviewed, and yet no one likes to say no; for interviewers are courteous and gentle-mannered, even when they come to destroy. I must not be understood to mean that they ever come consciously to destroy or are aware afterward that they have destroyed; no, I think their attitude is more that of the cyclone, which comes with the gracious purpose of cooling off a sweltering village, and is not aware, afterward, that it has done that village anything but a favor. The interviewer scatters you all over creation, but he does not conceive that you can look upon that as a disadvantage. People who blame a cyclone, do it because they do not reflect that compact masses are not a cyclone's idea of symmetry. People who find fault with the interviewer, do it because they do not reflect that he is but a cyclone, after all, though disguised in the image of God, like the rest of us; that he is not conscious of harm even when he is dusting a continent with your remains, but only thinks he is making things pleasant for you; and that therefore the just way to judge him is by his intentions, not his works.

The Interview was not a happy invention. It is perhaps the poorest of all ways of getting at what is in a man. In the first place, the interviewer is the reverse of an inspiration, because you are afraid of him. You know by experience that there is no choice between these disasters. No matter which he puts in, you will see at a glance that it would have been better if he had put in the other: not that the other would have been better than this, but merely that it wouldn't have been this; and any change must be, and would be, an improvement, though in reality you know very well it wouldn't. I may not make myself clear: if that is so, then I have made myself clear--a thing which could not be done except by not making myself clear, since what I am trying to show is what you feel at such a time, not what you think--for you don't think; it is not an intellectual operation; it is only a going around in a confused circle with your head off. You only wish in a dumb way that you hadn't done it, though really you don't know which it is you wish you hadn't done, and moreover you don't care: that is not the point; you simply wish you hadn't done it, whichever it is; done what, is a matter of minor importance and hasn't anything to do with the case. You get at what I mean? You have felt that way? Well, that is the way one feels over his interview in print. Read on ...

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/july-dec10/twain_07-07.html

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/mark-twains-latest-beach-book.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. From 1991

1991 U.S.A. Huckleberry Finn

13th February, 1991 : This was the day that the original manuscript of Huckleberry Finn by Mark was recovered. It was a handwritten script of the first half of the original draft of this book, which included Twains own handwritten corrections. This manuscript had been missing for over a hundred years. It was found by a 62-year old librarian from Los Angeles, who finally sorted through old papers sent to her from upstate New York. Mark Twain had sent the second half of the manuscript to this librarian’s grandfather, James Gluck. Gluck had solicited this manuscript in Buffalo, New York where Mark Twain had lived at one time. Mark Twain could not find the first half of his manuscript, even while he was alive. However, he did find it and sent it to Gluck. Court proceedings had taken place to decide who owned the rights to the lost Huckleberry Finn manuscript (the first half). The sisters, the library, and the Mark Twain Papers Projects in Berkeley, California all fought for rights of this book. After a fairly lengthy battle, the three different groups mentioned above came to a consensus, and made a deal. The library would be awarded the rights to the physical papers, and all three parties would share in publication rights. Then, in 1995, Random House won the rights to publish the book. They were said to have paid a high price for these rights, however, and the amount they were said to have paid was not disclosed to the public.

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/february13th.html

There was a series of programs made in the USA which were shown in the UK a fews ago. The subject of all of them was unusual treasure finds. One of them concerned a lady who found a bound hand written document when the family house was cleared prior to sale. As she read it she realised she was reading Huckleberry Finn. It was taken to Sotherbys where it was authenticated. I think it must have been this one which reitereates the above : http://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/14/books/first-half-of-huck-finn-in-twain-s-hand-is-found.html

[warren pease]

2. One of my favorite Twain quotes...

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.

[zazen]

3. I love Twain--just sent this to several friends. Thanks for the link! n/t

[Scurrilous]

4. Thanks.

K & R :thumbsup: