LINKS
Edited Extract - "Into The West" By Chris Holyday ©
Twain's 1895-96
Australasian
Travel Itinerary
A comprehensive list of Twain's Australasian newspaper and magazine interviews
An impressive list of Twain's works downloadable online
CONTACT the Australian Mark Twain Society, here (info@marktwain.com.au)
FOUND: A Twain letter to an Australian dentist, written during Twain's 1895-96 trip to Australasia.
In August 2009, it was my privilege to present a paper at the Sixth International Conference into Mark Twain Studies at Elmira (upstate New York). The conference was a wonderful experience, rubbing shoulders for three days with many of the biggest names in Twain scholarship.
Elmira College boasts a handsome campus, and has been linked with Mark Twain for nearly 140 years. Twain's wife, Olivia (nee Langdon), attended Elmira College in the 1850s, and Twain himself did much of his best-known writing at the Langdon family's Quarry Farm, a few miles up the road from the college.
Part of the Elmira 2009 experience included a memorable mid-summer night's eve BBQ at Quarry Farm, accompanied by banjo-playing minstrels, fine food and ice-cold beer. The BBQ capped of a stimulating three days of Twain introspection, where new friends were made and many new insights into Twain's world were explored for the first time.
One of many highlights of the conference for me was to meet with John Pascal, one of the world's very few Artemus Ward scholars. John's book "Artemus Ward: The Gentle Humorist" was published in March 2009 and presents a contemporary view of one of the most neglected humorists of the 19th century. If you hunger for information about the humorist of the Western Plains, John's book is a must-have.
But I digress. For someone who also finds Twain intoxicatingly attractive, Elmira 2009 surpassed my expectations. Almost every person I spoke with had written an authoritative book on some aspect of Twain. Scholar Prof. John Bird shot a home movie at the conference, craftily asking unsuspecting delegates why they studied Mark Twain. The results of this deceptively simple line of questioning can see be seen on YouTube.
As for my paper, I'm pleased to report it was received favourably, and formed part of a final session that included two wonderful presentations by Alex Effen and Mark Dawidziak. The full program can be viewed online here.
My paper, "Mark Twain's Melbourne Mystery Unmasked", endeavoured to forge new ground in the search for understanding of the events in Australia during the 1870s that led to reports of a Twain imposter living and dying down-under before 1881. Until now, few scholars have seriously examined the reference in Twain's final travel book "Following the Equator" to an Australian Twain imposter. My paper suggested that Twain's literary allusion to an imposter operating in Australia in the 1870s was based on fact; I also identified the man I consider to be almost certainly responsible for the mystery. With any luck, I hope to publish these findings soon.
In conclusion, it is fitting perhaps to make some brief mention of my trip to the Clemens/Langdon family grave at Elmira, courtesy of two kind Twain scholars. To my surprise, I found the modest assemblage of small gravestones to be poignantly moving. When a visitor stands beside Jean Clemens's grave and reads the inscription her father lovingly had inscribed upon the stone, it is impossible not to be moved by Twain's loss and pain, more than a century ago.
Ron Hohenhaus
Australian Mark Twain Society
Freighted to Australia with compliments by Professor Thomas Tenney, the publication's long-time editor, the collection contains more than 20 years of modern Twain scholarship and makes an invaluable contribution to developing Australian interest in Mark Twain. "The many back issues are for your growing society — which I hope will thrive," Professor Tenney said. An AMTS spokesperson said Professor Tenney's generosity would help to inspire others to delve a little deeper than the standard Twain texts almost everyone has known since childhood. "Because the Mark Twain Journal publishes factual articles and previously unknown material from Twain's own lifetime, each edition can be either be savoured immediately, like the fine chocolate, or cellared for later pleasure like a big Australian red," he said. "For example, one of the latest editions has an article about the recent discovery of impromptu notes that Twain scribbled on his travel trunk in the late 19th century. "This is a fantastic gesture, and Professor Tenney is to be congratulated." The Mark Twain Journal is published twice yearly and only available by subscription. For information about how to subscribe to the Mark Twain Journal or how to access the AMTS's archived back issues please contact this website.
Rare Book Inspires Insightful Twain Performance BRISBANE: 14 JAN 2008 — Queensland actor Geoff Stewart-McLean is set to reprise his popular one-man show at Strathpine, in a performance which recaptures highlights of Mark Twain's sell-out tour to Australia in 1895. "Mark Twain Down Under", written by award-winning author Stephen Measday, brings Australian culture to life through the eyes of Twain - America's greatest writer and humorist. "Although it's nearly a century since Twain's death in 1910, many of the insightful comments he made about Australian life and culture during his visit to Australia were recorded in his 1897 book "More Tramps Abroad" that still resonates with modern audiences," Geoff said. "Mark Twain Down Under" is a show aimed at audiences who will appreciate a fresh look at Australia through the eyes of a legendary character whose literary genius, incisive wit and humour caused him to become the most popular American celebrity of his time," Geoff said. The performance is a dramatisation of the lecture tour Mark Twain embarked upon in Australasia from September 1895 to January 1896. Geoff Stewart-McLean is a well known Mackay-based actor, singer and bush poet who brings a wealth of experience to the role, with performances in England and Canada to his credit. According to Australian Mark Twain Society member, Ron Hohenhaus, Geoff does an excellent job of portraying the genius of Twain on stage. "Geoff's portrayal of Twain allows us to step back in time - as if Twain had visited Queensland after all," he said. "His manner of speaking; his timing and sheer stage presence combine to create one of the most convincing Twain stage portrayals anywhere in the world today." Twain's journey to Australia in 1895-96 was depicted in the book, "More Tramps Abroad", which was titled "Following the Equator" when it was released in America. Geoff will be performing "Mark twain Down Under" at Strathpine's Act 1 Theatre at 7.30 pm on Saturday, 2 February, followed by a special 2.30 pm performance the following day. Tickets for "Mark Twain Down Under" are available at the door or by calling 3205 1897. To interview Geoff Stewart-McLean please telephone (07) 4954 9527 or 0448 087 838. (High-res images also available)
BRISBANE 24 JANUARY 2008: — The Australian Mark Twain Society (AMTS) has been gifted more than 40 back issues of the Mark Twain Journal.
This page is always under construction :)
Last modified: 4 Sep 2009