Samuel Langhorne Clemens November 30 1835 April 21 1910 better known by the pen name Mark Twain was an American humorist satirist writer and lecturer Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which has since been called the Great American Novel and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer He is also known for his quotations During his lifetime Clemens became a friend to presidents artists leading industrialists and European royalty Clemens enjoyed immense public popularity and his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers American author William Faulkner called Twain the father of American literature