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How St. Joan of Arc Won Mark Twain’s Skeptical Heart, by Patrick J. Walsh – Brown Pelican Society of Lousiana

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Left: John Everett Millais, “Joan of Arc,” 1865. Right: A.F. Bradley, “Portrait of Mark Twain,” 1907. (photo: Public Domain)

By Patrick J. Walsh, National Catholic Register, September 23, 2025

Patrick J. Walsh is a writer in Quincy, Massachusetts.

COMMENTARY: Though known as America’s great humorist, Twain called his novel on Joan of Arc the ‘best of all my books.’

When he was a boy walking the streets in Hannibal, Missouri, pages from a biography of Joan of Arc (1412-1431) were swept up to Samuel Clemens’ feet.

Upon reading the strewn pages, Clemens inquired of his mother whether Joan of Arc was a real person or a myth. As biographer Ron Chernow writes, “The chance finding was the catalyst for Twain’s lifelong voracious passion for Joan.” He studied the trial of Joan of Arc and thought that it was “the most thrilling historical document he had ever read.”

The man who scoffed at the Christian faith wrote an excellent novel in admiration of Joan of Arc. In fact, Twain, a lifelong admirer, studied the saint’s life for 15 years. …

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