Scotland and Twain Shall Meet

As a boy in Kirkaldy, in the county of Fife, Scotland, Thomas Hubbard once bought a comic book version of Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" at the local railway station bookstall. Hubbard, today a highly regarded literary scholar, novelist and poet, wondered what that strange word "Connecticut" meant. Now he knows it well. Currently the Lynn Wood Neag Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of English at the University of Connecticut, he notes that one of Twain's last essays was on the child poet Marjorie Fleming, also a Kirkcaldy native: Her grave is just a few minutes' walk from that station bookstall. Hubbard will share his lifelong passion for Mark Twain and his Scottish connections in a free talk on Tuesday, April 19, at The Mark Twain House & Museum. A reception with wine and hors d'oeuvres will open the event at 5 pm, with the talk at 5:30. The event follows the format of the museum's popular "The Trouble Begins at 5:30" series, which offers free after-work talks each spring and fall. The house and museum at 351 Farmington Ave., Hartford are open Monday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday, noon to 5:30 pm. For more information, call 860-247-0998 or visit www.marktwainhouse.org.