Jack London Biography
American Novelist Famous for Call of the Wild, Sea Wolf, White Fang
Jack London, American novelist, short-story writer and realist, portrays in his novels the heroic struggle of men and animals against a hostile environment. He is best known for his books Call of the Wild, Sea Wolf and White Fang.
The Life of Jack London in a Nutshell
Jack London (January 12, 1876 - November 22, 1916) was born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland, California.
Raised in poverty, his mother was not married, and his father deserted them. He left home to work in canneries and laundries which provided him school tuition before he became an adventurer.
London was described as a "rugged individualist" who believed strongly that only the fittest should survive; he also believed that white people were superior to other races. London lived a short but fascinating life of 40 years, a life that directly inspired the books he wrote. He married twice, and died of uremia or kidney poisoning.
Jack London's Major Novels
London's novels were directly inspired by his experiences. His Cruise of the Dazzler was inspired by working in the Oakland dockland gangs and running away to sea when he was 17-years-old. He lived as a hobo and was frequently humiliated by his time spent in jail.
He also became an oyster-poacher, then later went on to work as a fish patroller. During this time, he had his encounter with alcohol that almost destroyed his life.
At age 24, London published his first book, The Son of the Wolf, a collection of short stories. London went to northwest Canada during the Gold Rush of 1897-1898. His classic novels Call of the Wild and White Fang describe the struggle for survival in the Klondike against a hostile environment.
He also brilliantly wrote about the plight of the poor in People of the Abyss. His own experiences at sea formed the basis for his novel Sea Wolf. This 1904 classic novel depicts the clash between idealistic and materialistic culture with much absorbing realism. The plot is about a mad and abusive sea captain who perpetrates a shipboard atmosphere of increasing violence that ends in mutiny.
Jack London Legacy
To honor Jack London, some places have been named after him, including Jack London Square on the waterfront of Oakland, California, and Mount London, on the Alaska-British Columbia boundary.
His description of social outcasts in his autobiographical memoir The Road inspired influenced writers like John Steinbeck and Jack Kerouac.
Books by Jack London
- The Son of the Wolf, 1900
- Cruise of the Dazzler, 1902
- Call of the Wild, 1903
- The People of the Abyss, 1903
- The Sea Wolf, 1904
- Tales of the Fish Patrol, 1905
- White Fang, 1906
- The Road, 1907
- Iron Heel, 1908
- Martin Eden, 1909
- Burning Daylight, 1910
Sources:
- Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994.
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers / Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
Jack London, American Writer, Realist, Socialist
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