In 1866, Samuel L. Clemens was "lost" in Hawai'i. On assignment to the Sandwich Islands, the journalist who would become Mark Twain suddenly stopped writing and disappeared. What was he doing on Maui during those six weeks? Emily Witt, English professor from Buffalo, NY, discovers a notebook Clemens may have left behind. Clemens's and the professor's voices pulse against the rhythm of Hawai'i then and now. In alternating narratives of Emily's journey and Clemens's missing weeks, "Lost Twain" explores the lure of 'going native' and 'the view from the shore, ' how Hawaiians embrace outsiders - or don't.
In 1866, Samuel L. Clemens was "lost" in Hawai'i. On assignment to the Sandwich Islands, the journalist who would become Mark Twain suddenly stopped writing and disappeared. What was he doing on Maui during those six weeks? Emily Witt, English professor from Buffalo, NY, discovers a notebook Clemens may have left behind. Clemens's and the professor's voices pulse against the rhythm of Hawai'i then and now. In alternating narratives of Emily's journey and Clemens's missing weeks, "Lost Twain" explores the lure of 'going native' and 'the view from the shore, ' how Hawaiians embrace outsiders - or don't.
