NPR's Book of the Day In 'Twice Born,' a daughter discovers her father through his biography of Mark Twain
Jan 7, 2026
Hester Kaplan, an author and memoirist, delves into her relationship with her father, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Justin Kaplan, through his biography of Mark Twain. She reveals how attending her father's cremation sparked her memoir, Twice Born, as she sought to know him emotionally. Hester discusses the complex dynamics in their literary household and how reading Twain helped her understand her father’s choices. She also explores the impact of grief on his life and the idea that biography can bridge the gap of loneliness.
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Cremation Sparked The Memoir
- Hester Kaplan began her memoir after attending her father's cremation and wanting to see him in that moment.
- She used that moment as the emotional starting point to finally try to know a private father who had been distant in life.
Read Work To Build Emotional Bridges
- Use others' writing to connect when direct emotional access to someone is limited.
- Read a person's work to find ways to understand their inner life and create a bridge to intimacy.
Work Reveals The Hidden Self
- Hester had never read her father's work until after he died because the writer and the father felt inseparable.
- She believed his first biography would reveal where he was most himself and used it as a key to understand him.
