GREAT AUTHORS WITH LITTLE EDUCATION

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was a drop out of school at the age of 12 and was to work for food after the death of his father. He started contributing articles to his brothers newspaper at the age of 15. He then went to New York and worked as a printer and alongwith that he regularly visited public libraries around. After that Clemens worked as a driver in a steam boat. After working in the boat he reinvented as a writer. His pen name Mark Twain was taken from his boat life.("mark twine" is a steam boat slang for measuring two fathoms)

He has written 28 globally known books.

At the time of his death, his net worth was $14 million which he divided among his two daughters.

He made a forecast in 1909. "I came in 1835 when Hally's comet came last and I will return when the comet come next." The Hally's comet came in 1910 and when it was closest to the earth he died.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Charles Dickens was an English writer from UK. From young age Charles Dickens wanted to become a famous person. His parents had eight children and he was one among them. He had only formal education as he was to work in the factory. His father was sent into a debtor's prison and his mother and the siblings were gone there to live with him and that made him lonely. As an impoverished child, Dicken's experience have him inspiration for many of his novels. Later he bacame a freelance reporter. Today Charles Dickens is known as one of the foremost Victorian novelists.

Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Olivier Twist etc are the ever living books of Dickens. He wrote 20 novels, over a dozen short stories and several non-fiction books.

K V George