Preeminent Author of Alexander Hamilton and George Washington Biographies to Appear in Conversation at Immanuel Congregational Church

The Mark Twain House & Museum (MTH&M) is pleased to announce the upcoming Hartford appearance of blockbuster biographer Ron Chernow discussing his latest work, Mark Twain.

Having received the Pulitzer Prize for Washington - A Life and having his biography of Alexander Hamilton adapted into a hugely successful musical, Chernow is one of the most celebrated and honored non-fiction writers of the modern age. His expansive and deeply-researched survey of Samuel Clemens' life is the first major biography of "The Lincoln of Our Literature" in two decades. Some of his research was done right here, utilizing the museum’s extensive collection of correspondence, photographs, and artifacts to help bring great depth to what is likely the most comprehensive and thorough summation of Twain's life, work, and impact on our cultural landscape.

About Ron Chernow's Mark Twain

Before he was Mark Twain, he was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Born in 1835, the man who would become America’s first, and most influential, literary celebrity spent his childhood dreaming of piloting steamboats on the Mississippi.  But when the Civil War interrupted his career on the river, the young Twain went west to the Nevada Territory and accepted a job at the local newspaper, writing dispatches that attracted attention for their brashness and humor.  It wasn’t long until the former steamboat pilot from Missouri was recognized across the country for his literary brilliance, writing under a pen name that he would immortalize.

In this richly nuanced portrait of Mark Twain, acclaimed biographer Ron Chernow brings his considerable powers to bear on a man who shamelessly sought fame and fortune, and crafted his persona with meticulous care.  After establishing himself as a journalist, satirist, and performer, he eventually settled in Hartford with his wife and three daughters, where he went on to write The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  He threw himself into the epicenter of American culture, and emerged as the nation’s most notable political pundit.  At the same time, his madcap business ventures eventually bankrupted him; to economize, Twain and his family spent nine eventful years in exile in Europe.  He suffered the death of his wife and two daughters, and the last stage of his life was marked by heartache, political crusades, and eccentric behavior that sometimes obscured darker forces at play.

Drawing on Twain’s bountiful archives, including thousands of letters and hundreds of unpublished manuscripts, Chernow masterfully captures the man whose career reflected the country’s westward expansion, industrialization, and foreign wars, and the only white author of his generation who grappled so fully with the legacy of slavery.  Today, more than one hundred years after his death, Twain’s writing continues to be read, debated, and quoted. In this brilliant work of scholarship, a moving tribute to the writer’s talent and humanity, Chernow reveals the magnificent and often maddening life of one of the most original characters in American history.

About Ron Chernow

Ron Chernow is the prizewinning author of seven previous books and the recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal.  His first book, The House of Morgan, won the National Book Award, Washington: A Life won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, and Alexander Hamilton—the inspiration for the Broadway musical—won the George Washington Book Prize.  He has twice been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and is one of only three living biographers to have won the Gold Medal for Biography of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.  A past president of PEN America, Chernow has been the recipient of nine honorary doctorates.

Author programs at The Mark Twain House & Museum are sponsored by Connecticut Public and the Wish You Well Foundation.  Virtual author programs are supported by Suzanne Hopgood in the memory of former MTH&M Trustee Frank Lord.  

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM

Location: Immanuel Congregational Church, 10 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT

Members of The Mark Twain House & Museum will have early access to tickets starting March 25 at 10:00 am, before they go on sale to the public April 2. Current members will receive a private link via email to access tickets when the pre-sale opens. Tickets including a signed copy of Mark Twain are $55 (includes a small donation to MTH&M). VIP tickets including admission, a signed book, and a reception with Mr. Chernow are $125. To become a MTH&M Member and access priority pre-sale tickets, visit MarkTwainHouse.org/membership/.