About
Born John Griffith Chaney in San Francisco, Jack London had a poor childhood, working as a laborer, sailor, and gold prospector in the Klondike. These experiences fueled his tales of adventure and survival. A committed socialist, he denounced inequality in works like The People of the Abyss. In less than twenty years, he published over fifty books, including The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Martin Eden. Becoming the highest-paid author of his era, he built an experimental farm in Glen Ellen, California. He died of kidney disease at age forty.
* 1876-01-12 — † 1916-11-22
Major works
- The Call of the Wild (1903)novel
- The Sea-Wolf (1904)novel
- White Fang (1906)novel
- The Iron Heel (1908)novel
- Martin Eden (1909)novel
Key milestones
- 1897Participates in the Klondike Gold Rush, an experience that would inspire his writings.
- 1903Publishes The People of the Abyss, a social investigation of the London slums.
- 1916Dies at his Beauty Ranch in Glen Ellen, California.
Themes
SurvivalAdventureNatureSocial inequalityIndividualism
Sources: britannica.com · oac.cdlib.org
