Re: Loreley blogging - MARK TWAIN in New Zealand

http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/fractal_4/

These really are your fortay,phortie, fortaye........what your good at !!!!

forté

Latin  Etymology - From the ablative of fors ("chance, luck").

Traditionally pronounced by purists with only one syllable (like fort), it comes from a French noun. Often confused in usage with forte, a two-syllable word coming from Italian. The two words are considered Heteronyms in written English only if the accent mark is dropped. Without the accent mark its proper pronunciation must be gleaned from context, often leading to mispronunciation


from the French fort for "strength", originally pronounced /ˈfɔrt/ but now commonly, but incorrectly, /ˈfɔrteɪ/ in English

  1. the strongest part of the blade of a sword, between the middle and the hilt
  2. a thing that a person does particularly well; special accomplishment or strong point


what.. you mean I am a good writer?   You can't possibly mean that, right?

http://www-2.net/y23.stock.pictures/20090520-1st-germany/

You mean I am good at traveling and blathering about trains and other boring stuff.

Don't make me into Samuel Langhorne Clemens

In 1895 at the age of 59 Mark Twain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain
began a world tour. On Aug. 6, 1895, Twain left Montana. The tour would take them to the Fiji Islands, Australia, New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, and South America. His journey had lasted one year and one day. Mark Twain's world lecture tour of 1895-96 was a necessity because of his accumulated debts from failed investments. Twain sailed around the world on a lecture tour that took him across the U.S. to Canada, the Sandwich Islands, New Zealand, Australia, India and South Africa before completing the tour in England. This whirlwind tour not only got him out of debt but it also resulted in his last travel book, Following the Equator.

Here is the full text (the new zealand part)
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2895/2895-h/p4.htm



A much more amusing version is the radio new zealand audio
production:

The Trouble Begins at Eight

A four-part documentary series on American author Mark Twain's 1895 lecture tour of New Zealand.

The Trouble Begins At Eight - episode one
   Mark Twain braved sinking ships, angry dogs and rabid reviewers to bring his lucrative lecture tour to New Zealand. But neither the funny man's reasons for coming nor his time here were much of a laughing matter. Why did the supposedly wealthy writer of Huckleberry Finn have to travel so far from home to make a buck? (duration: 14′07″)



http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/misc/misc-20091012-1400-The_Trouble_Begins_At_Eight_-_episode_one-048.mp3

The Trouble Begins At Eight - episode two
   The tyranny of distance didn't stop American writer Mark Twain from visiting New Zealand in 1895. He had lectured to packed houses all over the world, but only here were dogs allowed to attend. And some of what passed for hospitality in this country very nearly prevented him from ever leaving again. (duration: 14′16″)

http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/misc/misc-20091012-1400-The_Trouble_Begins_At_Eight_-_episode_two-048.mp3

The Trouble Begins At Eight - episode three
   Not knowing what he was talking about never stopped Mark Twain. He opened fire on racism and sexism wherever he thought he found it. It's fair to say that while he was here in New Zealand, he had plenty to say about us. And some of it was even true. (duration: 14′22″)

http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/misc/misc-20091012-1400-The_Trouble_Begins_At_Eight_-_episode_three-048.mp3

The Trouble Begins At Eight - episode four
   For Mark Twain, talking wasn't just a pleasure; it was a moral imperative, and a necessary financial boon. He was, of course, a renowned wit and raconteur. But it's what he didn';t say about New Zealand that got us all hot under the collar. (duration: 13′33″)

http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/misc/misc-20091012-1400-The_Trouble_Begins_At_Eight_-_episode_four-048.mp3

The Trouble Begins at Eight was produced by Justin Gregory for Radio New Zealand National.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/documentaries/twain

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