Jack London (John Griffith Chancy) (1876-1916) (2400)

Jack London was born in San Francisco. He was deserted by his father, "Professor" William Henry Chancy, an itinerant astrologer, and raised in Oakland by his mother Flora Wellman, a music teacher and spiritualist. London's stepfather John London, whose surname he took, was a failed storekeeper. London's youth was marked by poverty. At the age of ten he became an avid reader, and borrowed books from the Oakland Public Library, where Ina Coolbirth recommended him the works of Flaubert, Tolstoy and other major novelist.

After leaving school at the age of 14, London worked as a seaman, rode in freight trains as a hobo and adopted socialistic views as a member of the protest armies of the unemployed. In 1894 he was arrested in Niagara Falls and jailed for vagrancy. These years made him determined to raise himself out of poverty.

Without having much formal education, London spent much time in public libraries reading fiction, philosophy, poetry, political science, and at the age of 19 gained admittance to the University of California in Berkeley. During this period he had already started to write. London left the school before the year was over and went to seek a fortune in the Klondike gold rush of 1897. His attempt was unsuccessful. London spent the winter near Dawson City, suffering from scurvy. In the spring he returned to San Francisco; his notebook full of plans for stories.

For the remainder of 1898 London again tried to earn his living by writing. His early stories appeared in the Overland Monthly and Atlantic Monthly. In 1900 he married Elisabeth Maddern. Three years later he left her and their two daughters, to marry Chairman Kittredge, an editor and outdoorswoman. The marriage lasted until London's death.

In 1901 he started to produce steadily novels, nonfiction, and short stories, becoming in his lifetime one of the most popular authors. He did not give up writing even during his travels and drinking periods. London's first novel Son of the Wolf” appeared in 1900. By 1904 Jack London was the author of 10 books. “The Call of the Wild”, “White Fang” and “Burning Daylight” are among them.

In 1902 London went to England, where he studied the backside of the British imperia and wrote a book “The People of the Abyss” which was a surprise success in the U.S. but criticized in England.

In 1905 London published his first collection of non-fiction pieces “The War of the Classes” which included his lectures on socialism. In 1907 he began to write Martin Eden, his most autobiographical novel..

Among London's major works are “The Sea-Wolf” (1904), “The Iron Heel” (1908), “Burning Daylight” (1910), “John Barleycorn” and others.

A few months before his death, London resigned from the Socialist Party. Debts, alcoholism, illness, and fear of losing his creativity darkened the author's last years. He died on November 22, 1916.

London was always on the side of the poor and oppressed. His realism is combined with sympathy and love for Man in his struggle for life. It is his realism and humanism that has made him one of the most popular writers in the world.

Check your comprehension.

I. Where was Jack London born? 2. What was his real name? 3. At what age did he begin to work? 4. What kinds of books did Jack read in his boyhood? 5. Where did Jack work being a grown-up person? 6. Why did he rush to the North? 7. What did he bring from the North with him? 8. How many books did Jack London write? 9. What were his books about? 10. Why is Jack London one of the most popular writers in the world?

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