Would someone please grammar check my thesis statement?

Much of Mark Twain's writing has been shaped by biographical as well as historical influences in his life; firstly, Mark Twain's bond with his home town and the Mississippi River is clear within the topics of his stories, and secondly, his past spent during slavery is a direct link with the themes of the stories he wrote, which is reflected in literary criticism and scholarship base on his work. This is how I thought it should look like. Hope it helps.