Speeches

by Mark Twain, Shelley Fisher Fishkin (Series Editor), David Barrow (Primary Contributor)

One of the most renowned public speakers of his day, Mark Twain was often asked to give speeches to mark public holidays or important anniversaries, for school graduations, at banquets for distinguished visitors, and at events sponsored by charitable organizations, reform groups, and the like. Published a few months after his death, this wide-ranging collection of speeches, spanning more than four decades, covers the gamut of Mark Twain's interests. Here are speeches on women's rights, on cigars and billiards, and on the extension of the copyright law. We find occasional pieces, banquet toasts and introductions that, in addition to being amusing in themselves, provide a vivid glimpse of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century social rituals. Also present are some of Twain's most controversial and daring speeches, such as the notorious "Whittier Birthday" Speech, in which he poked fun at three giants of New England literary culture to the horror of his audience; and "The Babies," which closes with a memorable image of the guest of an infant Ulysses S. Grant attempting to put his toe in his mouth.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, American, History, Classics

528 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1923

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.

Reviews

[Vítor Leal · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Os princípios morais adquirem-se ou aprendem-se - assim como o gosto pela música, como uma língua estrangeira, como a piedade, o póquer, a paralisia -, nenhum homem nasce dotado deles. Eu próprio nasci desprovido deles, comecei pobre. Não tinha um só princípio moral. Dificilmente se encontra um homem nesta sala que seja mais pobre do que eu era então. Sim, foi esse o meu ponto de partida - o mundo diante de mim e eu sem um princípio moral, sequer, que me valesse."

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of Twain’s speeches are still good fun; others are dated occasional pieces.

[Tiago Aires · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Lamento ter ouvido o meu nome referido como um dos grandes autores, porque eles têm o desagradável hábito de morrerem. Chaucer está morto, Spencer está morto, Milton igualmente, Shakespeare a mesma coisa, e eu próprio também já não m sinto lá muito bem." (p.275)

+

"E quero dar-vos um conselho, que me parece muito sábio: se descobrirem que só conseguem chegar aos setenta anos por um caminho desconfortável, não vão. Quando desatrelarem o vagão Pullman e vos mandarem para a carruagem fétida dos fumadores, ponham o chapéu e as luvas, peguem na vossa bagagem e saiam no primeiro apeadeiro onde haja um cemitério." (p.401)

[Jonathan Jerden · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I understand it, there remains preserved some 500+ of Mark Twain's speeches. This publication culls the 55 funniest. To read a speech - the Gettysburg Address excepted - takes something away from the original delivery before a live audience, perhaps much. Clearly Twain was widely beloved from 1876 on by a varied, international audience. He was in his sweet spot in eviscerating the sacred, especially with an adult crowd plugged into his many nuanced references. His jabs and his jokes were very much an insider's narration, different than, say, Rodney Dangerfield who told stories of everyman in brief, plain English.

My favorite story that I have read more than once is the following: soon after the popularity of his first two books (Innocence Abroad & Ruffin' It) and while U.S. Grant was still President, Grant sent word that he wanted Twain to give the upcoming keynote to a week-long summer reunion of Civil War veterans, where Grant was going to make a rare appearance as Most Celebrated & Honored Guest. Grant hated speechmaking, rarely acquiesced and often spoke for less than 30 seconds. These Union reunions - soon followed by joint Union & Confederate soldiers and officers - were often attended by 20,000 or more veterans plus their families in square mile encampments all over the northern states. In typical fashion Grant would say a 20 second "Thank you" preceded and then followed by 20 minutes of standing ovations, then would appear Twain to deliver the 90-minute commemorative speech. This partnership lasted only 2-3 times before Grant found out that Twain was a Confederate deserter and promptly 'fired' him. Seems Grant was less concerned about the Confederate loyalty than the 'running away from his post.' Fortunately for us their falling out didn't last long and Twain was back at it a few months later.

The rest of the story is history-making: soon after Grant left office in 1877, Twain contacted John D. Rockefeller for help in funding a pension for Grant (then and for the next 50 years there was no taxpayer-funded Presidential pension), and he agreed. But the fund was modest, and Grant's expenses (a world-wide, year-long victory tour, etc.) were large enough that he was soon broke shortly before he was diagnosed with cancer. Twain then helped convince Grant to write his memoirs (Sherman's 1st and 2nd edition Memoirs were already a huge success) and offered to publish them, too. Grant's Memoirs remain today the best ever from a field general's account of any war, and Grant's wife Julia and his children were rewarded with the then highest amount ever paid by any publisher for this best-selling, 2-volume tome. I've read Grant's and Sherman's Memoirs, and they are both outstanding.

[Vicente · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sinceramente não percebo todo o hype que houve relativamente à edição deste livro. Recordo que foi considerado, pela crítica denominada de "especializada", um dos melhores livros de 2019. Trata-se de um conjunto de discursos que Mark Twain foi proferindo ao longo da vida. Na grande maioria dos casos os discursos vêm a propósito de um aniversário de uma associação ou de alguma homenagem a figuras que não me dizem nada e que nada dirão à esmagadora maioria do comum dos mortais. São discursos datados, alguns incompreensíveis dada a sua especificidade e inserir esta obra numa colecção de humor parece-me, no mínimo, forçado. Contudo, trata-se de Mark Twain, e não obstante os discursos terem sido registados por outros, a ironia do autor e a pertinência das comparações está lá toda. Só por isso vale as 3 estrelas.

[Sónia Pinto]

DNF!

[Dennis Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than a century later, these speeches are still frequently laugh-out-loud funny. Alternately boastful and self deprecating, I was delighted by almost everything included.

[Roger Snell · Rating 5 out of 5]

No wonder he filled auditoriums. His speeches are hilarious and where some of his greatest quotes were born.

[Trey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading speeches is not the same as reading essays or novels, obviously. You lose so much of the presentation: the voice, the timbre, the inflection, the timing, the reaction of the audience. Although many of these speeches are funny, some of them are about people or events I am unaware of. In those cases, I guess you just had to be there.

[Vn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not impressive at all. Neither humorous enough not insightful enough