Ron Chernow’s Mark Twain (Spring Semester)




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ClassGraphic As Mark Twain wrote, “There was never yet an uninteresting life.” The proof lies in Mark Twain (Penguin Press, 2025), the new biography by Ron Chernow, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award for his earlier studies of Hamilton, Washington, and Grant. We’ll discuss the second half of the book, focusing on Twain in his 60s and 70s, as he meets an array of fascinating people, including some who earned his trust and others who betrayed it. We’ll follow Twain after financial ruin forces him to endure a nomadic European life for nearly a decade, undertake a year-long world speaking tour, and sell his beloved family home in Connecticut. We’ll also learn how Twain reacted to stunning personal losses during his later years, even as he wrote some of his most searing prose, much of which he refused to have published before his death. Join us for what the Los Angeles Times calls “a masterful exploration of the magnificent highs and unutterable lows of an American literary genius.” We will supplement our reading with selected short stories and articles by Twain. We welcome members who did not participate in the fall semester.
 

Class Details

14 Session(s)
Weekly - Thu

Location
500 Davis Center

Instructor
Multiple

Tuition: 

$0.00

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information. Send to Friend »

Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s)
3/5/2026 - 6/4/2026 Weekly - Thu 09:45 AM - 11:45 AM Evanston, 500 Davis Center  Map Peg Romm  ; Janet Jablon  ; Jim Burns 

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