The Book List are mini-posts about books I have on my shelf (or digital shelf) that I have yet to read.
Today we are looking at a collection of essays, fiction, and notes by Mark Twain titled Letters from the Earth. The book was published “posthumously” in 1962, and I found it in a bookstore in Chicago, having no appreciable understanding of Mark Twain at the time. Truth be told, I read a little of the book on the train home, but found pivoting to an also bought short story collection was a little easier to digest in travel.
Summary
The book is a variety of different writings put together by Bernard DeVoto, who was “Twain’s second literary executor” (Britannica). These pieces include stories about Satan and his fellow angels, a historical account of Adam and Eve, critiques on other writer’s writing styles and always a decent amount of perilous satire.
In the foreword of the book, Literary Editor of the Mark Twain Papers Henry Nash Smith writes that DeVoto submitted a manuscript of Letters from Earth in 1939, but Twain’s family kept it from seeing the light of day for reasons of impropriety.
“…when Clara Clemens read the manuscript she objected to the publication of certain parts of it on the ground that they presented a distorted view of her father’s ideas and attitudes” (Twain).
Of course, the book would eventually be published and here we are today. Smith also points out that the volume of writings contained in Letters from the Earth is cut into two main sections: One of tied Biblical themes, and one of miscellanea.
Book blurb
From the book: “In Letters from the Earth, Twain presents himself as the Father of History, reviewing and interpreting events from the garden of Eden through the Fall and the Flood, translating the papers of Adam and his descendants down through the generations. First published fifty years after his death, this eclectic collection is vintage Twain: sharp, witty, imaginative, complex, and wildly funny.”
Critical response
In looking for a critical response on Amazon, I used my edition of the book (Perennial Classics, Feb. 2004) to siphon reviews. The positive reviewers stated that Letters from the Earth “is sharp, witty, frequently funny, irreverent,” and some even said it should be “required reading.” Interestingly, one review stated that the book is “For Hardcore Twain Fans Only,” and goes on to write that “Its (sic) recommended that you read his most famous titles first and then come back to this if you’re craving more.”
In looking for negative reviews on Amazon, I found that most of the negatives were aimed at the edition of the book and not the text itself, which I suppose speaks volumes of the content. Nevertheless, three to four star reviews address that it is “tough to read” and that some readers had to “look up” words “in a dictionary.” Most damning is that for some readers it “failed to hold interest.”
Reviews in editorial were kind when the book was published. The New York Times Book Review stated that Twain’s attitude in the book was “of Swift” and “the intellectual contempt is that of Voltaire,” and finally that “the imagination is that of one of the great masters of American writing.” Likewise, the Chicago Sunday Tribune stated that “Here Twain takes some of man’s most revered beliefs and demonstrated their downright preposterousness when examined in a cold light.”
Impressions
Some of the middling reviews of Letters from the Earth address my own criticisms of the text (and Twain’s style and echelon of prioritization in writing), which is that it can be “wandering and garbled at times.” Some examples include the very structure of the book, and perhaps if I gave it more time, I could put themes together, but the book seems to be organized by no real relationship. Satan writes to Gabriel and Michael in the titular story, and then we venture into a bedtime story about cats. Again, though, I have yet to read this book in full and would need time to analyze its contents.
Though, even coming back from Chicago after buying it at a bookstore I realized that I was going to need some help contextualizing Twain’s essays and writings, because (as a matter of theology), it is important to know when somebody lived and how the Church was received in society at that time, as far as politically and necessary. A dry read of this book would be creating conflict.
Works cited
Twain, Mark. Letters from the Earth. Harper Collins. 1991, 2004. Print.
