Jack London

Jack London (1876-1916) was an American author. His writings reflect his great interest in strong men who are driven by primitive emotions in the struggle for survival. London published about 50 volumes of short stories, novels, plays, and essays. He is one of the most frequently translated American writers.

London was born in San Francisco. He had to help to support his family from the age of 14 and had little formal education. London entered high school at 19. He passed the entrance examinations for the University of California the next year. He stayed there for one semester before going to work as a seaman and laborer.

During the gold rush of 1897, London spent a year in the Klondike region of the Yukon Territory in Canada. This was the most important period of his life because he found the material for the stories and novels that made him famous. London's first Klondike stories were collected in «The Son of the Wolf» (1900). These stories are vivid accounts of the struggle of men and dogs to survive in the frozen wastes of the north.

London's best known work is «The Call of the Wild» (1903). It describes the adventures of Buck, a dog taken from California to Yukon. Buck learns to be brutal in order to survive and then is befriended by a kind master. After his master is killed, Buck turns savage and eventually leads a wolf pack. In «White Fang» (1906), London portrayed a wolf being turned into a pet. These books were instant successes. London portrayed instincts for freedom and power as opposed to the forces of social control and love.

London's interest in the survival of the fittest also appears in his novels about strong, brutal men who scorn social customs. In «The Sea-Wolf» (1904), he describes Wolf Larsen, a sea captain, as a superman. The hero of «Martin Eden» (1909) is a seaman whose thirst for knowledge and power leads him first to success as a writer, then to disgust with the human race, and finally to suicide. In these and many other novels and essays, London attacked capitalism. He is widely considered a spokesman for socialism. His understanding of and sympathy for the poor are strong elements in such works as the essays collected in «The People of the Abyss» (1903).

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