Mark Twain in the German Language Press - Recent changes [en]

Heidelberg

HK — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:08:02 GMT

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	The Clemens family arrived in Heidelberg, a city of approximately 28,000 inhabitants ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/ICN55MKZ Luks, 86]), on the afternoon of 6th May 1878. Until now, German newspapers, even with digital reproductions available, have provided little assistance in reconstructing Clemens’s visit to Heidelberg. It appears that there is only a single reference to his presence in the city. The ''Heidelberger Zeitung'' printed a list of newly arrived visitors (“Fremdenliste”) in the city, including the line “Hotel Schrieder [...] Clemans [sic] und Fam. a. New-York” (7 May, 1878, 4).		The Clemens family arrived in Heidelberg, a city of approximately 28,000 inhabitants ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/ICN55MKZ Luks, 86]), on the afternoon of 6th May 1878. Until now, German newspapers, even with digital reproductions available, have provided little assistance in reconstructing Clemens’s visit to Heidelberg. It appears that there is only a single reference to his presence in the city. The ''Heidelberger Zeitung'' printed a list of newly arrived visitors (“Fremdenliste”) in the city, including the line “Hotel Schrieder [...] Clemans [sic] und Fam. a. New-York” (7 May, 1878, 4).
	[[File:Hotel_schrieder_adv_murray_1878.png\|frameless\|left\|{{File:Hotel_schrieder_adv_murray_1878.png}}]]		[[File:Hotel_schrieder_adv_murray_1878.png\|frameless\|left\|{{File:Hotel_schrieder_adv_murray_1878.png}}]]
	Hotel Schrieder had a long history in Heidelberg and advertized itself as a first-class hotel (see image left). In July 1877, it had accommodated former US president Ulysses S. Grant and his wife (see [https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/newspaper/item/3QYUA7CZ7EKB2MHZSKC2AW7FB4AOKJSG?issuepage=2 ''Der Landbote, Anzeiger für den Amtsbezirk Sinsheim und Umgebung'', 21 July, 1877, 2]). But something must have troubled the Clemens family to such an extent that Olivia referred to it “a most miserable hotel” ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/Z44NN233 Snedecor 104]), prompting Clemens to quickly move them to better quarters at the Schloss-Hotel, a relatively new hotel located near the famous Heidelberg Castle.		Hotel Schrieder had a long history in Heidelberg and advertized itself as a first-class hotel (see image left). In July 1877, it had accommodated former US president Ulysses S. Grant and his wife (see [https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/newspaper/item/3QYUA7CZ7EKB2MHZSKC2AW7FB4AOKJSG?issuepage=2 ''Der Landbote, Anzeiger für den Amtsbezirk Sinsheim und Umgebung'', 21 July, 1877, 2]). But something must have troubled the Clemens family to such an extent that Olivia referred to it as “a most miserable hotel” ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/Z44NN233 Snedecor 104]), prompting Clemens to quickly move them to better quarters at the Schloss-Hotel, a relatively new hotel located near the famous Heidelberg Castle.

File:MT funeral NY Elmira.jpg

HK — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:05:06 GMT

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	Photograph of the coffin being carried out of Brick Church to a carriage; a large crowd has gathered to the left and right. From ~~“Harper’s~~ Weekly,” 7 May 1910.		Photograph of the coffin being carried out of Brick Church to a carriage; a large crowd has gathered to the left and right. From ''Harper’s Weekly'', 7 May 1910.

	Source: Harper’s Weekly, 7 May 1910 (page 11). Public domain, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015036683103?urlappend=%3Bseq=651%3Bownerid=115358951-650.		Source: ''Harper’s Weekly'', 7 May 1910 (page 11). Public domain, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015036683103?urlappend=%3Bseq=651%3Bownerid=115358951-650.

File:MT funeral viewing.jpg

HK — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:04:05 GMT

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	Photograph of the line of visitors (blurry due to the long exposure time) in Brick Church queuing up to view the body of Mark Twain. From ~~“Harper’s~~ Weekly,” 7 May 1910.		Photograph of the line of visitors (blurry due to the long exposure time) in Brick Church queuing up to view the body of Mark Twain. From ''Harper’s Weekly'', 7 May 1910.

	Source: Harper’s Weekly, 7 May 1910 (page 11). Public domain, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015036683103?urlappend=%3Bseq=651%3Bownerid=115358951-650.		Source: ''Harper’s Weekly'', 7 May 1910 (page 11). Public domain, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015036683103?urlappend=%3Bseq=651%3Bownerid=115358951-650.

Pen Name

HK — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:58:20 GMT

Updated the conventional account to reflect more recent scholarship about the origin and the meaning of the pseudonym.

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	Samuel L. Clemens ~~started using the pen name "Mark Twain" in 1863~~ (~~see~~ [https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/~~FIZ6WARP/ Rasmussen et al. 2:774~~]). ~~Its first known appearance was~~ in a letter published in the ''Virginia City Territorial Enterprise'' on 3 Feb. 1863 (see [https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/FIZ6WARP/ Rasmussen et al. 2:774]).		"Mark Twain" was not the only pen name Samuel L. Clemens used ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/search/scharn/titleCreatorYear/items/WNUC8IG7 Scharnhorst, ''Early Years''] 190), but it was the one he employed most consistently in print and private life. First used in a letter published in the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise on 3 Feb. 1863, it remained his principal pseudonym throughout his career and became central to his public identity (see [https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/FIZ6WARP/ Rasmussen et al. 2:774]).

	The ~~names~~' ~~nautical~~ origin ~~(literally meaning~~ "two ~~marks" or 12~~ feet in ~~measuring~~ the ~~depth~~ of ~~a river~~) ~~were repeatedly explained to~~ the ~~general public~~ in ~~newspaper reports - sometimes~~ in ~~the form~~ of a ~~short article merely professing~~ to ~~present an interesting tidbit~~ of ~~information~~, sometimes ~~in the form~~ of longer ~~musings and anecdotes~~ about Clemens' life and his ~~time~~ as a Mississippi pilot.		The name's origin has long been associated with Clemens's years as a Mississippi River pilot. According to the traditional explanation, "mark twain" was a leadsman's call indicating a depth of two fathoms (twelve feet), signifying safe water. This interpretation has been widely repeated in newspaper accounts, popular biographies, and scholarly works.

			Although alternative explanations have circulated since 1942, they attracted comparatively little attention until [https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/search/scharn/titleCreatorYear/items/WNUC8IG7 Scharnhorst] revived the debate in the first volume of his 2018 biography of Clemens (190-192) and developed the argument further in his [https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/search/scharnh/titleCreatorYear/items/EELE5HBM/ 2025 article] "Mark Twain's Pseudonym One More (Last?) Time." Scharnhorst contends that the riverboat explanation was a deliberate misdirection and that the pseudonym instead originated in Virginia City, where "Mark Twain" referred to Clemens's habit of ordering two drinks and having two chalk marks entered against his account at a local saloon (232).

			German-language newspapers frequently mention both "Samuel L. Clemens" and "Mark Twain," though many refer to him simply as "Mark Twain." They also frequently repeated the traditional account of the name's riverboat origin, sometimes as a brief biographical curiosity and sometimes as part of longer reminiscences about Clemens's life and his years as a Mississippi River pilot.

	"Mark Twain" was not the only pen name Clemens used, but it was the one he used most consistently in his publications (and sometimes in his private life) and which most shaped the perception of his public persona. Newspaper articles frequently mention both names (S. L. Clemens and Mark Twain) for clarity, but often use only Mark Twain to refer to the Clemens.

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