What an inspirational place for a writer to live or to visit. I'm sure Twain developed his wild imagination, living only a few yards from the Big River. The white picket fence still stands as a reminder that boys will be boys."Tom Sawyer" was smitten with "Becky Thatcher" just as Mark Twain was smitten with Laura Hawkins who lived right across the street. It's amazing how many real life experiences writers add to their stories.
Hannibal is also the birthplace of the unsinkable Molly Brown (aka: Margaret "Maggie" Tobin Brown) survivor of the Titanic. Her childhood home is located down the road from Twain's. Molly praised Twain's writings. Norman Rockwell was fond of Twain and his novels, too. The proof is in the fourteen Rockwell paintings hanging in the Mark Twain Museum. Come for a visit and enjoy this quaint town and get to know two spunky individuals from history. You can have tea with Molly Brown at the Hannibal History Museum or you just might spot Twain skipping stones in the Mighty Mississippi or at the diner, I think I saw him waiting tables on Sunday.
My favorite Twain book is Tom Sawyer. I loved the suspense he conjured up when he penned the graveyard and the haunted house scenes and getting trapped and lost inside the cave. What's your favorite Twain book?
Photos: courtesy of the writer of this blog:)
Yup, Tom Sawyer is my fave, too :) And I had no idea that Mark Twain" meant two fathoms deep!
ReplyDeleteI reread it last year when my son was assigned the book in English. Too funny!
DeleteI think everyone has a secret fantasy about drifting down the Mississippi River. Even my kids talk about it. Love of Twain is timeless.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Hannibal, what a fantastic idea for an A-Z post.
Robin
My A to Z blog is www.writeonsiters.com
Thanks! I was thinking of historical fiction, but I don't write that genre. Didn't think to write on my hometown until last night when I passed one of the museums in town.
DeleteWhat a great place to live. So much literary history. And Molly Brown, too? Wow.
ReplyDeleteI've never read a Twain book *hangs head in shame*, although I do mean to. One of these days...
Tom Sawyer is a fun read. I read it as a kid, but didn't remember much until I moved here. You'll get to it, I'm sure, one of these days. Just bring a copy to the Mississippi and enjoy!
DeleteI just keep singing, "Old man river, that old man river..." Ah... Good memories. We hit Missouri when I was 13, and I loved how green it was. Gorgeous. I sat there thinking, "I could live here." Granted, I'm living somewhere equally green now... =)
ReplyDeleteI wish we were green all year long. I hate winter. I love Florida! I lived in the Sunshine state for almost a decade.
DeleteHe was a character. My blogger buddy, author Roland Yeomans, includes Twain in his posts and writing often.
ReplyDeleteMy second son is a character. I think I might nickname him Mark Twain:) I do love Twain quotes. He had such a gift for combining wit and wisdom.
ReplyDeleteWonderful peektures. Alas, my experience with the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn involved an AP English teacher who LOVED Yung and Freud. I can never read that scene where Huck cllimbed the tree to take in the scenery ever again :(
ReplyDeleteWe have an outdoor amphitheater here in the desert and they put on plays there in the summer evenings. They did Tom Sawyer one year and it was great! They flooded the stage to use for the MS River.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't like the winters either. I hate the cold. I'm going to be moving south soon. It's gets very cold here in the winter. I wish more places were like FL.
Sunni
http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/