The New York Times/1900/8/18/Mark Twain's Debut

by Mark Twain

Mark Twain's Debut.

From "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyberg."
By Mark Twain.

In my view, a person who published things in a mere newspaper could not properly claim recognition as a literary person; he must rise away above that; he must appear in a magazine. He would then be a literary person; also he would be famous—right away. These two ambitions were strong upon me. This was in 1866. I prepared my contribution, and then looked around for the best magazine to go up to glory in. I selected the most important one in New York. The contribution was accepted. I signed it "Mark Twain," for that name had some currency on the Pacific Coast, and it was my idea to spread it all over the world, now, at this one jump. The article appeared in the December number, and I sat up a month waiting for the January number, for what would contain the year's list of contributors, and my name would be in it, and I should be famous, and could give the banquet I was meditating.

I did not give the banquet. I had not written the "Mark Twain" distinctly; it was a fresh name to Eastern printers, and they put it "Mike Swain" or "Mac Swain," I do not remember which. At any rate, I was not celebrated, and I did not give the banquet. I was a literary person, but that was all—a buried one; buried alive.