Granta to run excerpt from Mark Twain's long-suppressed memoir

Mark Twain, perhaps the American Midwest's most beloved writer, has a new piece coming out in the latest issue of Granta. It comes from his long-suppressed memoir, which will be published in five volumes beginning in November by the University of California Press. It was Twain himself who said that it could not be published until 100 years after his death, and, gosh, look at the time, 100 years is up.

The Granta excerpt is about the summers Twain spent as a boy on his uncle's farm in Florida, and the slaves he met there, including the man he modeled the character Jim upon. "It's just gorgeous," says Granta editor John Freeman. "This piece of it has an intensity and coherence that feels like his best written work -- it's like he's in the next room. Spooky, really."

The theme of this Granta issue is "Going Back," and it goes on sale July 26.

Also ...

•Peter Smith of Hopkins has a book coming out in October with the University of Minnesota Press. "A Porch Sofa Almanac: On Being Minnesotan" is a collection of short essays that first aired on Minnesota Public Radio's "Morning Edition."

•"The Blue Notebook," a novel by James A. Levine of Oronoco, Minn., has been issued in paperback by Spiegel & Grau. Levine will read and sign books at noon Wednesday at the University of Minnesota Bookstore, 300 Washington Av. SE., Mpls.

•"Prairie Lightning: The Rise and Fall of William Drew Washburn," by Kerck Kelsey, has been published by Pogo Press. Kelsey is a descendant of Washburn, who helped establish Minneapolis as a center for flour milling, helped develop the Soo Line Railroad and WCCO radio, and served as a U.S. senator and congressman. Kelsey has a number of book signings and readings scheduled for July and August, beginning with an event at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Depot, 402 W. Lake St., Wayzata.