"Name that Author" Challenge: Mark Twain

Congratulations to Carissa for correctly identifying Mark Twain (accompanied by a kitten) as pictured here.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court stirred me deeply while I was in my teens. The story of an American "Yankee" who is transported to King Arthur's England and must use his good old American ingenuity and mechanical know-how to impress the natives, the book is an interesting comparison of the practical, democratic mentality of nineteenth-century America and what Twain saw as the medieval mentality. Twain was deeply anti-monarchical and anti-catholic, and his view of life in Arthur's day is grim indeed. It is almost a tract against what he saw as the tyranny of the old world. Yet his examination of human responses to suffering, technology, and defeat are broad enough to leave a teenager pondering them. I ought to read the book again and see how it strikes me as an adult.

Pictured below, we find Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) in boyhood (sans kitten):

This Week's Challenge:

Another author with pets. She wrote very charming tales for children.

The FIRST PERSON to name the author above (either in the comments or by e-mailing me) will receive a shout-out (bringing admiration from our loyal readers) next week. Include your own name as you would like it listed, and your blog/web site (if any).