The Mysterious Stranger , published posthumously in 1916 and belonging to Twain\'s "dark" period, belies the popular image of the affable American humorist.
As the Stranger in the story asserts, "nothing exists; all is a dream..
In this antireligious tale, he denies the existence of a benign Providence, a soul, an afterlife, and even reality itself.
At the time this work was written, Twain had suffered a series of painful physical, economic, and emotional losses.
The Mysterious Stranger , published posthumously in 1916 and belonging to Twain\'s "dark" period, belies the popular image of the affable American humorist