The Sieur Louis de Conte, a fictional character invented by Mark Twain, tells the story of Joan of Arc, Louis&#39; childhood friend and an actual figure in history, who fights for French independence from the English in the 15th century. Louis accompanies Joan as her secretary through the battles and witnesses her trial and execution at the hands of the English.<br /><br />Said to be one of his favourite works, an also one of his bests, &quot;Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc&quot; is Twain&#39;s ambitious fictional account of her life.&nbsp;It was first published in 1896.