Literary Buffalo

Throughout history, Buffalo Niagara has attracted famous artists, entertainers, architects and craftsmen to our shores. But one of the most famous residents was an author—Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain.

While Clemens only lived here from 1869-1871, he left an indelible legacy behind. You can view the original manuscript of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in Twain’s own hand, as well as some personal memorabilia, at the Buffalo & Erie County Central Library.

But that’s not the only literary masterwork in town. The State University of New York at Buffalo holds North America’s largest collection of 20th century first edition poetry. Anchoring the collection is a definitive library of James Joyce’s work, including some 10,000 pages of the writer’s manuscripts.

From the important documents at Buffalo’s Karpeles Manuscript Museum’s North and Porter Halls to Just Buffalo Literary Center’s author speaker series, the art of the word is well represented in sites and events throughout Buffalo!