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Jumping Frogs: Undiscovered, Rediscovered, and Celebrated Writings of Mark Twain
Is He Dead?: A Comedy in Three Acts
The University of California Press is delighted to announce the new publication of this three-act play by one of America's most important and well-loved writers. A highly entertaining comedy that has never appeared in print or on stage, "Is He Dead?" is finally available to the wide audience Mark Twain wished it to reach. Written in 1898 in Vienna as Twain emerged from one of the deepest depressions of his life, the play shows its author's superb gift for humor operating at its most energetic. The text of "Is He Dead?, " based on the manuscript in the Mark Twain Papers, appears here together with an illuminating essay by renowned Mark Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin and with Barry Moser's original woodcut illustrations in a volume that will surely become a treasured addition to the Mark Twain legacy. Richly intermingling elements of burlesque, farce, and social satire with a wry look at the world market in art, "Is He Dead?" centers on a group of poor artists in Barbizon, France, who stage the death of a friend to drive up the price of his paintings. In order to make this scheme succeed, the artists hatch some hilarious plots involving cross-dressing, a full-scale fake funeral, lovers' deceptions, and much more. Mark Twain was fascinated by the theater and made many attempts at playwriting, but this play is certainly his best. "Is He Dead?" may have been too "out there" for the Victorian 1890s, but today's readers will thoroughly enjoy Mark Twain's well-crafted dialogue, intriguing cast of characters, and above all, his characteristic ebullience and humor. In Shelley Fisher Fishkin's estimation, it is "a champagne cocktail of a play--not too dry, not too sweet, with just the right amount of bubbles and buzz."
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1999
4 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Mark Twain
8,860 books18.7k followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 5, 2021
A brilliant tale of how four friends make their own wealth by proving art is worth more once the artist is deceased. Genius!
June 12, 2023
"For once they didn't starve a genius to death and then put into other pockets the rewards he should have had himself. "
A short story about social values... probably the answer will be: He is dead as an artist, living as a body, but would all that money replace the buried identity! I don't know..
A short story about social values... probably the answer will be: He is dead as an artist, living as a body, but would all that money replace the buried identity! I don't know..
October 26, 2021
With more than a century behind it, Twain’s send-up of the art world is just as hilarious now as it must have been then — one of the surest signs that a work is a classic — so thank the goodnesses that Professor Shelley Fisher Fishkin did fish the manuscript, never before published and never before played, from the bottom of an archival desk-drawer up north at the Twain Papers of foggily golden Cal.
P.S. Barry Moser’s illustrations are monuments of startling precision and imagination, a delight to behold.
P.S. Barry Moser’s illustrations are monuments of startling precision and imagination, a delight to behold.
August 3, 2018
في أيام كده تحس انك مش مستعد تقرأ رواية طويلة او كتاب متشعب في موضوع معين
في الوقت ده الحل يكون في القصة القصيرة
فكرة مبدعة بيرسمها الكاتب في حكاية بسيطة من غير اسهاب
وتبقى ضربت عصفورين بحجر
July 6, 2022
A cute comedy by Mark Twain that never got produced in his lifetime (or ever?). I would love to see it on stage.
December 18, 2017
The story "Is He Living or Is He Dead?" by Mark Twain has a connection with the real name of a famous person - the artist Francois Millet. Did it have a connection with the real life of the artist? It is not clear, probably not.
The story starts on the French resort Mentone where one holidaymaker told a story which happened at the time of his youth. The narrator told about three young artists (one of them was the narrator himself) who had once lived together in a small village. They drew paintings, that were fine works but few of them were sold. The friend came to the point of complete absence of money, all the shops in the village refused to give them the goods on credit. In that crucial moment, one of them (Carl) started to make a statement. He said that "the merit of many a great artist has never been acknowledged until after he was starved and dead" and suggested to do so by pretending as if somebody of them had that fate.
After hot debates, friends to agree, Francois Millet was chosen for this role. Here how the narrator described the scene of the first selling:
'" ... I began to sketch a villa in the outskirts of a big town--because I saw the proprietor standing on an upper veranda. He came down to look on--I thought he would. I worked swiftly, intending to keep him interested. Occasionally he fired off a little ejaculation of approbation, and by-and-by he spoke up with enthusiasm, and said I was a master!
'I put down my brush, reached into my satchel, fetched out a Millet, and pointed to the cipher in the corner. I said, proudly:
'"I suppose you recognise that? Well, he taught me! I should think I ought to know my trade!"
'The man looked guiltily embarrassed, and was silent. I said sorrowfully:
'"You don't mean to intimate that you don't know the cipher of Francois Millet!"
'Of course he didn't know that cipher; but he was the gratefullest man you ever saw, just the same, for being let out of an uncomfortable place on such easy terms. He said:
'"No! Why, it is Millet's, sure enough! I don't know what I could have been thinking of. Of course I recognise it now."
The project had a great success, the real Francois Millet was present at his funeral carrying the coffin with a wax figure. The price for the pictures of Francois Millet soared, they became rich and kept this secret for years. Only at the moment of telling this story, the narrator disclosed it. He said that another guest of this hotel, who was an old, retired, and very rich silk manufacturer from Lyons, was Francois Millet.
As a title for his story, Mark Twain chose the question "Is He Living or Is He Dead?" If we think about it from the viewpoint of collectors of Francois Millet's art who bought the paintings of an artist with a tragic fate, the answer wouldn't be obvious ...
This is the link to the text of the story:
https://americanliterature.com/author...
The story starts on the French resort Mentone where one holidaymaker told a story which happened at the time of his youth. The narrator told about three young artists (one of them was the narrator himself) who had once lived together in a small village. They drew paintings, that were fine works but few of them were sold. The friend came to the point of complete absence of money, all the shops in the village refused to give them the goods on credit. In that crucial moment, one of them (Carl) started to make a statement. He said that "the merit of many a great artist has never been acknowledged until after he was starved and dead" and suggested to do so by pretending as if somebody of them had that fate.
After hot debates, friends to agree, Francois Millet was chosen for this role. Here how the narrator described the scene of the first selling:
'" ... I began to sketch a villa in the outskirts of a big town--because I saw the proprietor standing on an upper veranda. He came down to look on--I thought he would. I worked swiftly, intending to keep him interested. Occasionally he fired off a little ejaculation of approbation, and by-and-by he spoke up with enthusiasm, and said I was a master!
'I put down my brush, reached into my satchel, fetched out a Millet, and pointed to the cipher in the corner. I said, proudly:
'"I suppose you recognise that? Well, he taught me! I should think I ought to know my trade!"
'The man looked guiltily embarrassed, and was silent. I said sorrowfully:
'"You don't mean to intimate that you don't know the cipher of Francois Millet!"
'Of course he didn't know that cipher; but he was the gratefullest man you ever saw, just the same, for being let out of an uncomfortable place on such easy terms. He said:
'"No! Why, it is Millet's, sure enough! I don't know what I could have been thinking of. Of course I recognise it now."
The project had a great success, the real Francois Millet was present at his funeral carrying the coffin with a wax figure. The price for the pictures of Francois Millet soared, they became rich and kept this secret for years. Only at the moment of telling this story, the narrator disclosed it. He said that another guest of this hotel, who was an old, retired, and very rich silk manufacturer from Lyons, was Francois Millet.
As a title for his story, Mark Twain chose the question "Is He Living or Is He Dead?" If we think about it from the viewpoint of collectors of Francois Millet's art who bought the paintings of an artist with a tragic fate, the answer wouldn't be obvious ...
This is the link to the text of the story:
https://americanliterature.com/author...
September 2, 2022
it took me forever to read this play. (over a week!) I still havent wrapped my head around some of its finer bits. I didnt hate it, although I kinda want to. It takes a while but it is really funny. Essentially it is satirizing Art foibles. Why CANT an artist be appreciated in their lifetime? This still rings true even in our polarized and segmented culture. It's such a morbid facet of humanity. Mark Twain illuminates this morbidity, then he starts talking about its mother. I mean he got jokes! He is fearless in his exposure of human frailty without self aggrandizing. He's not just saying appreciate artists, more like why does society make death a good career move?
May 19, 2025
Very surprisingly my first Twain play!
Laughed out loud multiple times, loved the quick and clever dialogue — and a faked death/new fake identity is alwaysss a bit of me. Adding to the list of plays to direct!
A very insightful foreword and afterword on his life, I can already tell I’m going to get very into his life and work (need to get my hands on a bootleg of the one man play about his life starring Val Kilmer YESTERDAY!!!!). Learning he wrote something so farcical and silly after a heavy loss in his family is just a testament to the cathartic power of writing and of comedy and of theater.
Also learning he was besties with Bram Stoker threw me for a LOOP :0
Laughed out loud multiple times, loved the quick and clever dialogue — and a faked death/new fake identity is alwaysss a bit of me. Adding to the list of plays to direct!
A very insightful foreword and afterword on his life, I can already tell I’m going to get very into his life and work (need to get my hands on a bootleg of the one man play about his life starring Val Kilmer YESTERDAY!!!!). Learning he wrote something so farcical and silly after a heavy loss in his family is just a testament to the cathartic power of writing and of comedy and of theater.
Also learning he was besties with Bram Stoker threw me for a LOOP :0
August 21, 2020
One of the least known gems of Twain's wit, and one of the very few scripts he wrote. A little dated, of course, but still funny and touching. In addition to the script, there is a history of how Twain came to write it, and how it was unpublished for over a century.
November 20, 2020
It was a really good book!
It is in a play formatting writing!!
If you get to read the Afterword part you get to learn more about the author and how an earlier book inspired this book!!!
Pretty interesting!!!
It is in a play formatting writing!!
If you get to read the Afterword part you get to learn more about the author and how an earlier book inspired this book!!!
Pretty interesting!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2019
A witty short story and satire about the society's values, it is still valid in today's society. It was very easy to read. I really liked it.
July 10, 2025
Living high on the hog on one's own fatback lard-ons.
May 15, 2016
So, I’ve committed to two things this year: read as much Mark Twain as I can get my hands on and read more plays, particularly diversifying playwrights …so as not to have only Shakespeare represented on my end-0f-the-year list. (By the way, I’ve committed to a lot more things, but those two were just the most relevant to mention ...what do you care about the accuracy of my reading portfolio goals anyhow?!)
At first, those two commitments seem to be opposed, but as I searched deeper and deeper into the Twain bibliography, I stumbled across a mention of a play he wrote. More research turned up the title. More research led me to figure out just how to nab this elusive work. The next thing I knew Is He Dead? arrives in the mail and Mark Twain’s long ago achieved theatrical production that only recently got published (20 years ago as opposed to 100 plus years ago, like the rest of his works) is in my hands.
Marty, you’ve set your expectations too high, you warn me. Fortunately, knowing myself, I anticipate high expectation bubble bursting, so I tell myself that this is an educational experience and a non-Shakespeare and the best part about the whole thing was discovering it existed and finding a way to read it for the beneficial insight into Twain the playwright, his times, and the play’s cultural and literary significance. Happily, my lowering of my rising expectations had the right effect--I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Twain’s play.
As with most plays, the first act or two sets characters and situations up and you’re usually a little bit lost about some of the people and events, and you’re still not sure if you want to invest into this world. That’s how I felt for most of the first act. Francois Millet, an apparently famous French artist at or near the time Twain wrote this play (he painted that one peasant women in the field recently threshed …? painting…), is introduced with some other, quirky, artist sidekicks. The conflict is quickly ushered in with an usurer as the villain, an easy choice for any storyteller. So, I’m beginning to resign myself for an educational yawner.
Then, at the end of the first act, the premise of the play is introduced, and I was hooked. The whole build up of expectations, positive and negative, that I had for this play were set aside and I found myself enjoying a clever, interesting plot with characters that I liked and cared for.
Throughout the play, Mark plays around with dialects, something he has always thrived on in all his literary canon (much to my students’ chagrin!). He also throws in some unexpected twists in the story, twists that seem to work. And ultimately, though set in France, the play reeks of turn-of-the-century American ideals (this is the educational part of it). Twain might find himself across the world, but still can’t keep himself from acting as the continued spokesperson for unique, down-to-earth, American exceptionalism (not in the way that American exceptionalism is spoken of today, though).
In the end, the play is not a powerhouse. It is entertaining, unpredictable at times, and full of likable characters, though with time the memory of specific events and characters within it will probably fade. But are you searching for the next Shakespeare classic, or are you simply satisfied with a quick, clever, enjoyable treat from the master American humorist? If you have the right expectations, I think Is He Dead? hits the spot.
At first, those two commitments seem to be opposed, but as I searched deeper and deeper into the Twain bibliography, I stumbled across a mention of a play he wrote. More research turned up the title. More research led me to figure out just how to nab this elusive work. The next thing I knew Is He Dead? arrives in the mail and Mark Twain’s long ago achieved theatrical production that only recently got published (20 years ago as opposed to 100 plus years ago, like the rest of his works) is in my hands.
Marty, you’ve set your expectations too high, you warn me. Fortunately, knowing myself, I anticipate high expectation bubble bursting, so I tell myself that this is an educational experience and a non-Shakespeare and the best part about the whole thing was discovering it existed and finding a way to read it for the beneficial insight into Twain the playwright, his times, and the play’s cultural and literary significance. Happily, my lowering of my rising expectations had the right effect--I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Twain’s play.
As with most plays, the first act or two sets characters and situations up and you’re usually a little bit lost about some of the people and events, and you’re still not sure if you want to invest into this world. That’s how I felt for most of the first act. Francois Millet, an apparently famous French artist at or near the time Twain wrote this play (he painted that one peasant women in the field recently threshed …? painting…), is introduced with some other, quirky, artist sidekicks. The conflict is quickly ushered in with an usurer as the villain, an easy choice for any storyteller. So, I’m beginning to resign myself for an educational yawner.
Then, at the end of the first act, the premise of the play is introduced, and I was hooked. The whole build up of expectations, positive and negative, that I had for this play were set aside and I found myself enjoying a clever, interesting plot with characters that I liked and cared for.
Throughout the play, Mark plays around with dialects, something he has always thrived on in all his literary canon (much to my students’ chagrin!). He also throws in some unexpected twists in the story, twists that seem to work. And ultimately, though set in France, the play reeks of turn-of-the-century American ideals (this is the educational part of it). Twain might find himself across the world, but still can’t keep himself from acting as the continued spokesperson for unique, down-to-earth, American exceptionalism (not in the way that American exceptionalism is spoken of today, though).
In the end, the play is not a powerhouse. It is entertaining, unpredictable at times, and full of likable characters, though with time the memory of specific events and characters within it will probably fade. But are you searching for the next Shakespeare classic, or are you simply satisfied with a quick, clever, enjoyable treat from the master American humorist? If you have the right expectations, I think Is He Dead? hits the spot.
January 26, 2015
I picked up this book because if any title accurately sums up how most people feel about the year 2014, Is He Dead? might very well be it. Really, I couldn’t pick a better title for the last book to finish off this exceedingly odd year.
This play can be summed up by one comment in the afterword: While Mark Twain thought the idea ripe for a play, even he acknowledged it needed a playwright’s touch prior to staging a performance.
Mr. Clemens, I agree. I love the idea, but I’m not crazy about the actual play.
In nineteenth-century Paris, a group of young artists come upon the perfect solution for their money woes: they’ll pretend one of them has died, thereby jacking up the price of the deceased’s paintings and ensuring they’ll all be financially set for life. In the meantime, the “dead” artist disguises himself as his sister in order to hang around without arousing any attention.
The play has a lot of potential. But Is He Dead? isn’t ready for the stage, which is likely why it was never staged in Twain’s lifetime and only recently published. It’s the kernel of a great idea, albeit one hampered by stereotyped characters. Even as satire, I don’t see many modern theatres being comfortable staging a play that feeds into, among other things, the worst of Asian stereotypes.
One of the leading academics on Mark Twain writes both the forward and introduction. The forward was perfect: just the right amount of information to orient readers without giving away the plot. The afterword, however, was too, too long. It probably took me about three times as long to read the afterword as the play itself – which is too much for a play that is average at best. The author knows her subject and a lot of the information was fascinating – which is why I continued to read it – but it needed to be much shorter. Too many tangents derailed the piece and clouded the interesting background about the play and the time in both history and Twain’s life in which he wrote the play.
One last note: After reading this, I discovered that David Ives adapted Is He Dead? in 2006. As a fan of Ives, I can’t think of a better playwright to fulfill the play’s potential. Now I just need to track down a copy.
For fans of Twain’s: recommended.
This play can be summed up by one comment in the afterword: While Mark Twain thought the idea ripe for a play, even he acknowledged it needed a playwright’s touch prior to staging a performance.
Mr. Clemens, I agree. I love the idea, but I’m not crazy about the actual play.
In nineteenth-century Paris, a group of young artists come upon the perfect solution for their money woes: they’ll pretend one of them has died, thereby jacking up the price of the deceased’s paintings and ensuring they’ll all be financially set for life. In the meantime, the “dead” artist disguises himself as his sister in order to hang around without arousing any attention.
The play has a lot of potential. But Is He Dead? isn’t ready for the stage, which is likely why it was never staged in Twain’s lifetime and only recently published. It’s the kernel of a great idea, albeit one hampered by stereotyped characters. Even as satire, I don’t see many modern theatres being comfortable staging a play that feeds into, among other things, the worst of Asian stereotypes.
One of the leading academics on Mark Twain writes both the forward and introduction. The forward was perfect: just the right amount of information to orient readers without giving away the plot. The afterword, however, was too, too long. It probably took me about three times as long to read the afterword as the play itself – which is too much for a play that is average at best. The author knows her subject and a lot of the information was fascinating – which is why I continued to read it – but it needed to be much shorter. Too many tangents derailed the piece and clouded the interesting background about the play and the time in both history and Twain’s life in which he wrote the play.
One last note: After reading this, I discovered that David Ives adapted Is He Dead? in 2006. As a fan of Ives, I can’t think of a better playwright to fulfill the play’s potential. Now I just need to track down a copy.
For fans of Twain’s: recommended.
March 3, 2016
Classic romantic comedy set in Barbizon outside Paris in 1846 and full of zany characters, impossible situations and cross-dressing. For me, it was fun reading this to see how some of the dialogue bears trace remnants from his other works. Twain's confidence men are real works of art and this play is no different. Ruses, hoodwinks, and doublebacks abound. I hope this play gets more stage time!
The title comes from a running joke from his first book, The Innocents Abroad. When the herd of lowbrow Americans on their tour of the European capitals and their fine art galleries are presented with portraits of the masters by their tour guides, the question gets asked over and over again, driving their guide to consternation. They had more fun in driving their guide mad than in viewing the masters.
Added 2/26/12: There is a current stage adaptation by David Ives. Ives has made it a two-act play, cut some characters and added a Parisian inspector and an additional love plot. I should know! I was cast as the villain, Bastien Andre, in our local community theater production with 12 shows, opening in late April and running into May. Come out to Port Angeles and see it! I guarantee you will get your fill of deep belly laughs.
The title comes from a running joke from his first book, The Innocents Abroad. When the herd of lowbrow Americans on their tour of the European capitals and their fine art galleries are presented with portraits of the masters by their tour guides, the question gets asked over and over again, driving their guide to consternation. They had more fun in driving their guide mad than in viewing the masters.
Added 2/26/12: There is a current stage adaptation by David Ives. Ives has made it a two-act play, cut some characters and added a Parisian inspector and an additional love plot. I should know! I was cast as the villain, Bastien Andre, in our local community theater production with 12 shows, opening in late April and running into May. Come out to Port Angeles and see it! I guarantee you will get your fill of deep belly laughs.
November 11, 2015
Is He Dead? is an obscure play written by Mark Twain and one that was not presented much during his lifetime. His English friend and promoter, Bram Stoker, was busy with projects of his own and was unable to push this play into the English theater world the way it should have been. The play is a biting satire of the Art World at the end of the 19th century, and the fickleness of fame and fortune within that world. Why is one painting worth only a sou while others are sold for thousands of Francs, Marks, Dollars and Pounds? What makes an artist famous and collectable? Fashion?, Style?,...Death? While the first act sets the tone, the following 2 acts are pure Mark Twain to the core. Get ready for laughs.
December 4, 2014
It took me awhile to read this, which probably isn't the best for my opinion of the play: it gets hard to keep track of so many characters. This is a really interesting farce, with ever so many characters from so many different nations. I think I'll like seeing this play next Spring (or performing in it, if all goes well) more than just reading it. So much of the humor here is visual.
The afterword was really interesting as well. I learned a lot about Twain's history (for example, I had no idea he was friends with Bram Stoker) and also theatrical history during Twain's life. The afterword was definitely worth reading.
The afterword was really interesting as well. I learned a lot about Twain's history (for example, I had no idea he was friends with Bram Stoker) and also theatrical history during Twain's life. The afterword was definitely worth reading.
March 23, 2009
I was interested to read this play because my family went to see it recently and it was fun. I was intrigued as its a relatively new found play. The humor in the play seemed contemporary, so I was interested to see what was in the original and what was added by the director/theatre group. My enjoyment came from comparing what I was reading with what I saw. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend just picking it up and reading it.
January 5, 2008
This is the original manuscript which was discovered among Twain's papers. David Ives adapted it, and it is currently playing on Broadway (Jan. 2008). Is He Dead is a crazy farce about Jean Francois Millet who fakes his own death to ensure that his paintings will bring in more money with which he must pay his creditors. Millet returns in drag as Widow Tillou his twin sister.
January 23, 2012
I saw this play by the WaterTower Theater company in Addision, TX and it was hilarious, so I was excited to find a copy of the play to read. I think having seen it on stage made reading the play more enjoyable. I'm not sure the humor comes through as easily just reading it for the first time. If you ever see a local theater doing this play, take the time to go see it. It was a unique treat!
February 23, 2014
I read this play for my book club meeting. We were assigned to read anything by Mark Twain, and I wanted to try something new. I need to do some more research around that time to really understand what it fully meant, but I did enjoy this. Of course his dialect for the Dutchy character was classic Twain.
April 24, 2011
Entertaining..
May 15, 2014
I liked this, I wish I had be able to attend the performance last month. Hopefully, I will have another chance.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews