Jack of London. Jack London: biography, personal life, interesting facts, books

London Jack (1876 - 1916)

American writer. Born in San Francisco. At birth he was given the name John Cheney, but eight months later, when his mother married, he became John Griffith London. London's youth came at a time of economic depression and unemployment, and the family's financial situation became increasingly precarious.

In his youth he changed many professions: he worked for cannery, a power plant, a jute factory, was close to the “oyster pirates” of San Francisco Bay, in 1893 London set sail for eight months to fish for fur seals. Upon returning, he takes part in literary competition-writes an essay on “Typhoon on the Coast of Japan” and wins the first prize.

In 1894, London took part in the army of the unemployed's march on Washington; wandered around the USA and Canada, was imprisoned for vagrancy, and was arrested for socialist activities.

In 1896 he entered the University of California, but left due to the inability to pay tuition and went to Alaska, captured by the “gold rush,” and was a prospector.

Color and romance of the North, strong characters, the fight against deprivation and difficulties are the main motives in London’s work after his stay in Alaska. In 1902, the novel “Daughter of the Snows” and the book “People of the Abyss” about the life of the poorest quarter of London’s East End were published.

London gains fame, his financial situation stabilizes, he marries Elizabeth Maddern, and has two daughters. Under strong impact everything he saw and experienced in Alaska creates a cycle of stories and short stories published in his collections “Son of the Wolf”, “God of His Fathers”, “Children of Frost”. This cycle also included talented stories about animals “The Call of the Wild” and “White Fang”. In 1904, one of the most famous novels London "The Sea Wolf" about Captain Wolf Larsen. In the same year, London goes on a business trip to Korea during the Russo-Japanese War. When he returns, he divorces his wife and marries her ex-girlfriend Charmaine Kittredge.

In 1907-1909 London takes a sea voyage on the yacht Snark, built by him according to his own drawings.

Over the next seventeen years, he released two and even three. books a year: the autobiographical novel “Martin Eden” about a sailor who makes his way the hard way to the heights of knowledge and literary fame; an autobiographical treatise on alcoholism, John Barleycorn, a tragic argument in favor of Prohibition, and the novel Valley of the Moon.

On November 22, 1916, London died in Glen Ellen, California, from a fatal dose of morphine, which he took either to control the pain caused by uremia, or deliberately, wanting to commit suicide.

In 1920, the novel “Hearts of Three” was published posthumously.

Real name John Griffith Cheney(John Griffith Chaney). Born January 12, 1876 in San Francisco. The future writer's mother, Flora Wellman, was a music teacher and was interested in spiritualism, claiming that she had a spiritual connection with an Indian leader. She became pregnant by astrologer William Cheney, with whom she lived for some time in San Francisco. Having learned about Flora's pregnancy, William began to insist that she have an abortion, but she categorically refused and, in a fit of despair, tried to shoot herself, but only slightly injured herself.

After the birth of the baby, Flora left him for some time in the care of her former slave Virginia Prentiss, who remained for London important person throughout his life. At the end of the same 1876, Flora married John London, a disabled veteran Civil War to the USA, after which she took the baby back to her place. The boy's name began to be John London (Jack is a diminutive form of the name John). After some time, the family moved to the city of Oakland, neighboring San Francisco, where London eventually graduated from school.

Jack London started out on his own early working life, full of hardships. As a schoolboy, he sold morning and evening newspapers. At the end primary school At the age of fourteen he entered a canning factory as a worker. The work was very hard, and he left the factory. He was an “oyster pirate,” illegally catching oysters in San Francisco Bay (described in “Tales of the Fishing Patrol”). In 1893, he hired himself as a sailor on a fishing schooner, going to catch seals on the shores of Japan and in the Bering Sea. The first voyage gave London many vivid impressions, which later formed the basis for many of his sea stories and novels (“The Sea Wolf”, etc.). Subsequently, he also worked as an ironer in a laundry and as a fireman (described in Martin Eden).

London's first essay, "A Typhoon Off the Coast of Japan," which launched his literary career and for which he received first prize from a San Francisco newspaper, was published on November 12, 1893.

In 1894 he took part in the march of the unemployed on Washington (essay “Hold On!”), after which he spent a month in prison for vagrancy (“Straitjacket”). In 1895 he joined the Socialist Workers Party of the USA, from 1900 (some sources indicate 1901) - a member of the Socialist Party of the USA, from which he left in 1914 (some sources indicate 1916); The statement cited the loss of faith in its “fighting spirit” as the reason for the break with the party.

Having prepared independently and successfully passed entrance exams, Jack London entered the University of California, but after the 3rd semester, due to lack of funds for his studies, he was forced to leave. In the spring of 1897, Jack London succumbed to the Gold Rush and left for Alaska. He returned to San Francisco in 1898, having experienced all the delights of the northern winter. Instead of gold, fate gifted Jack London with meetings with the future heroes of his works.

He began to study literature more seriously at the age of 23, after returning from Alaska: his first northern stories were published in 1899, and already in 1900 his first book was published - a collection of stories “Son of the Wolf”. This was followed by the following collections of stories: “The God of His Fathers” (Chicago, 1901), “Children of the Frost” (New York, 1902), “Faith in Man” (New York, 1904), “The Face of the Moon” (New York) , 1906), “The Lost Face” (New York, 1910), as well as the novels “Daughter of the Snows” (1902), “The Sea Wolf” (1904), “Martin Eden” (1909), which created the widest popularity for the writer. The writer worked very hard, 15-17 hours a day. And he managed to write about 40 magnificent books throughout his not very long writing career.

In 1902, London visited England, actually London, which gave him material for writing the book People of the Abyss, which, to the surprise of many, was successful in the USA, unlike England. Upon returning to America, he gave lectures in different cities, mainly of a socialist nature, and organized departments of the “General Student Society.” In 1904-05 London works as a war correspondent during the Russo-Japanese War. In 1907 the writer undertakes trip around the world. By this time, thanks to high fees, London becomes a wealthy man.

Jack London was very popular in the USSR and in Russia, not least due to his sympathies for the ideas of socialism, membership in the Socialist Workers' Party, and also as a writer who praised the inflexibility of the spirit and life values intangible nature (friendship, honesty, hard work, justice), which was promoted in the socialist state and was natural for the mentality of the Russian people, which was formed within the Russian community. The attention of Soviet readers was not focused on the fact that he was the highest paid writer in America. His fee reached up to 50 thousand dollars per book, which was a fantastic amount. However, the writer himself never gave anyone any reason to accuse himself of writing for money. He missed them - it would be more accurate to put it that way. And in the novel Martin Eden, the most autobiographical of all his works, Jack London showed the death of the soul young writer and his beloved under the influence of the thirst for money. The thirst for life was the idea of ​​his works, but not the thirst for gold.

In recent years, London has been experiencing a creative crisis, which is why he began to abuse alcohol (he later quit). Because of the crisis, the writer was even forced to buy a plot for a new novel. Such a plot was sold to London to beginners American writer Sinclair Lewis. London managed to give the future novel a title - “The Murder Bureau” - but he managed to write very little, since he soon died.

London died on November 22, 1916 in Glen Ellen, California. In recent years he suffered from kidney disease (uremia) and died from poisoning from morphine prescribed to him.

The most famous version among the public is suicide, but doctors note that London did not have sufficient knowledge to calculate the lethal dose of morphine, nor serious grounds for suicide (he did not leave suicide note and chose a completely “unmanly” method). Deliberate self-poisoning began to spread in later times - just remember the fate of Sigmund Freud. But the fact that the very reasoning about the sources of suicide existed in his head is unambiguous. Thus, his beloved hero Martin Eden quite meaningfully commits suicide, being in a depressed state due to unfulfilled expectations about the principles of the existence of “higher” American society and psychological fatigue from work. Related topic the story “Semper Idem” is also dedicated; London also mentions his thoughts about suicide in the biographical story “John Barleycorn.”

Fantastic in creativity.

Despite the fact that Jack London’s main fame came from his “northern stories,” in his work he repeatedly addressed the themes and problems of SF. Already in the first published story, “A Thousand Deaths,” a scientist uses his own son as a test subject, conducting experiments on rejuvenation; dedicated to the same topic humorous story"The Rejuvenation of Major Rathbone" (1899). In “The Shadow and the Flash,” the idea of ​​an invisible man is realized using scientific methods, and in the story “The Enemy of the Whole World” (1908) - a superweapon that gives power over the world. Main character story "The Red Deity" (1918), discovers a tribe lost in the jungle who worship a mysterious sphere from outer space. Racist ideas of "burden" white man”, at one time shared by London, found expression in the story “An Unusual Invasion” (1910), in which the “white” nations carry out genocide against the Chinese (the latter are simply poisoned like insects from the air) in order to establish a utopia on Earth.

Some famous works London is devoted to the problems of evolution. In Before Adam (1906), which undoubtedly inspired William Golding's The Descendants, genetic memory allows consciousness modern man travel to the prehistoric past, where "progress" (the Fire People) gradually displaces historical scene innocent children of Nature. The stories “The Power of the Strong” (1911) and “When the World Was Young” (1910) are devoted to the same theme. And in the story “A Splinter of the Tertiary Epoch” we are talking about another relic - a mammoth that has survived to this day.

The soul of the hero of the novel “Interstellar Wanderer” (1915), a prisoner in an American prison, without any scientific justification is capable of “spiritually” traveling through time, incarnating in previous reincarnations of the hero, from a Roman legionnaire to an American pioneer settler. The world after the catastrophe, which has returned to primitive barbarism, is impressively depicted in the story “The Scarlet Plague” (1912).

London's political views determined the emergence of its utopian works, of which the most famous is the novel " Iron heel"(1907), refers to the peaks of the writer’s creativity and literary utopia (or dystopia) of the beginning of the century. Back in the 27th century, historians are studying documents dating back to the end of the 20th century, in which the United States groans under the rule of a fascist oligarchy; The struggle of the oppressed proletariat against capital is just heating up, but from the prologue it is clear that over time it will lead to success. London has written a number of stories on the same theme: “A Curious Passage” (1907), again introducing the sinister figure of the oligarch ruler; “Goliath” (1908), the hero of which invents a new source of energy and with its help establishes a worldwide “proletarian dictatorship”; in the treatise story “Debs's Dream” (1909), the socialist revolution wins throughout the world as a result of a general strike.

Collections have been repeatedly published abroad fantastic works Jack London, the composition of which varied markedly, depending on the task of the compiler. A similar collection was published in Russian in 1993, when the compiler Vil Bykov tried to collect all the translated short fiction of Jack London under one cover.

(V. Gakov, with changes)

(1876- 1916)

The biography of Jack London (real name John Griffith London) is both vivid and tragic. Future famous writer was born on January 12, 1876 in the American city of San Francisco in the family of a bankrupt farmer. Due to the distress financial situation John's mother was forced to remarry, so little boy appeared new father, and a new name - Jack London, which he would later glorify throughout the world.

Since childhood, Jack has not shown much zeal for knowledge. He gladly replaced classes at a local school with physical labor, selling newspapers, working in a laundry or a tannery. At the age of 17, Jack London, having enlisted as a sailor, set off on a sea voyage to the distant islands of Japan. Upon returning to the USA, the future writer, inspired by the free sailor spirit, joins the party of the unemployed and goes to Washington with its ranks. In the capital, Jack, along with other party activists, was arrested and served his sentence in one of the American prisons for almost a month.

Further, the biography of Jack London entered a more peaceful direction. The writer independently enters the university, however, due to financial difficulties, after the third semester he is forced to interrupt his studies. At the same time (in 1895), London joined the ranks of the US Socialist Party, which, disillusioned with its ideals, he left in 1914.

In an effort to improve his material well-being, in March 1897, Jack London went to Alaska, to the gold mines. It is worth noting that he was not able to “wash” a lot of gold. However, from the north the writer brings a more valuable cargo - a whole collection of characters and images that became the prototypes of the heroes of his immortal works.

It is worth noting that London had had his first attempts at writing, quite successful ones, before. However, he begins to study “adult” literature only after returning from
Alaska. In 1903, the first book in the “treasure hunter” series, “Son of the Wolf,” was published. A few years earlier, Jack London was awarded for his autobiographical essay “Typhoon off the Coast of Japan.” Further, one after another, other books of the author begin to be published - “Hearts of Three”, “White Fang”, “The Man with the Scar” are known and loved by everyone since childhood. In total, the writer published about two hundred works.

It's amazing how much Jack London accomplished in his short life. IN different years he farmed on his stepfather’s plantations, was a journalist-correspondent in all the hot spots of the world (revolution in Mexico, earthquake in the USA in 1906, Russian - Japanese war). Jack London tried to succeed in politics and even ran for mayor of one of the provincial towns in the USA, however, he was a very mediocre politician and was not elected. London's adventurism continued until last days. Already at the end of his life, the writer built a sailing ship with his own hands and attempted to travel around the world.

According to eyewitnesses, in the last few years London has suffered from alcoholism and mental disorders. Apparently, it was these factors that prompted the writer to commit suicide on November 22, 1916.

A more detailed biography of Jack London can be found in the book of his second wife, Charmian, which is called “The Life of Jack London.”

Name: Jack London (John Griffith Chaney)

Age: 40 years

Activity: writer, socialist, public figure

Family status: was married

Jack London: biography

The biography of Jack London is full of interesting facts and unexpected twists of fate: before becoming famous author novels and stories, London had to go through a difficult path full of hardships. Everything about Jack’s life story is interesting, from the writer’s strange parents to his numerous travels. London has become one of the most popular foreign authors, which was read in the Soviet Union: in terms of circulation in the USSR, the American overtook.

The future writer was born on January 12, 1876 in San Francisco, California. Some writers joked that John Griffith Cheney (Jack London's real name) became famous even before he was born. The fact is that the writer’s parents are extravagant personalities who loved to shock the public. His mother, Flora Wellman, is the daughter of Marshall Wellman, an influential entrepreneur from Ohio.

The girl moved to California to earn money by teaching. But Flora’s work was not limited to music lessons; the future writer’s mother was fond of spiritualism and claimed to be spiritually connected with the Indian leader. Flora also suffered nervous breakdowns and frequent mood swings due to typhus, which the girl suffered at the age of twenty.

While in San Francisco, the esoteric lover meets an equally interesting person - William Cheney (Chaney), an Irishman by birth. Lawyer William was skilled in mathematics and literature, but was famous for being one of the most popular professors of magic and astrology in America. The man led a wandering lifestyle and loved sea travel, but he devoted 16 hours a day to astrology.

The eccentric lovers lived in a civil marriage, and after some time Flora became pregnant. Professor Cheney insisted on an abortion, which provoked a terrible scandal that made headlines in local newspapers: a desperate Wellman tried to shoot herself with a rusty old revolver, but the bullet only slightly wounded her. According to another version, Flora staged a suicide attempt due to the cooling of her lover’s feelings.

However, San Francisco journalists cashed in on the story; the news, titled “The Abandoned Wife,” was sold out at newsstands throughout the city. The yellow press wrote based on stories ex-girlfriend William, and discredited the name of the esotericist. Journalists talked about Cheney as a child killer who abandoned many wives, and also served time in prison. The professor-soothsayer, disgraced by disrepute, left the city once and for all in the summer of 1875. In the future, Jack London tried to contact William, but never saw his dad, who had not read any single work eminent son, and also renounced paternity.

After the birth of her son, Flora had no time to raise a child, since she did not deny herself social events, therefore, the newborn boy was given to the care of a nanny of black origin, Jenny Prinster, whom the writer recalled as a second mother.

The mysterious Wellman, even after the birth of her son, made money through spiritualistic séances. In 1876, John London, who had lost his wife and son, turned to Flora for spiritual help. War veteran John was known as a good and kind person, raised two daughters and was not shy about any work. After Wellman and London’s wedding in 1976, the woman took her newborn son into John’s family.

The boy had a warm relationship with his stepfather, John Sr. replaced the future writer's father, and the young man never felt like a stranger. Jack became friends with his half-sister Eliza and considered her his best friend.

In 1873, an economic crisis began in America, due to which many residents of the country lost their income. The Londons lived in poverty and traveled through the cities of the state in search of better life. In the future, the author of the novels recalled that Flora had nothing to serve on the table, and little Jack did not know what it was to have his own toys. The first shirt bought in a store was given to the child when he was 8 years old.

John Sr. attempted cattle breeding, but the extravagant Flora did not like it when work moved slowly. The woman constantly had adventurous plans in her head, which, in her opinion, should help her get rich quickly: sometimes she bought lottery tickets, hoping for luck. But because of Wellman's strange desires, the family was more than once on the road to bankruptcy.

After wandering, the Londons settled in Oakland, not far from San Francisco, and in this city the boy went to elementary school. The future writer was accustomed to being called Jack, a shortened name for John, as a child.

Jack London was the most frequent visitor to the Auckland library: the future writer went to the reading room almost every day and devoured books one after another. Miss Ina Coolbrith, winner of a local literature award, noticed the boy's passion for books and adjusted his reading range.

Every morning at school, little Jack took a pen and a piece of paper and wrote down about a thousand words to get out of singing lessons. The boy was constantly silent in the choir, for which he received a punishment, which in the future would come to the benefit of the writer.

Jack had to get up early in order to have time to sell the latest school newspaper before classes, and London also set up pins in the bowling alley on weekends and cleaned beer pavilions in the park in order to get at least some money.

When London Jr. was 14 years old, he graduated primary classes, however, the boy was unable to continue his studies because he had nothing to pay.

And the future writer did not have time for classes: in 1891, the breadwinner of the family, John London Sr., was hit by a train and became disabled, which made the man unable to work. Therefore, after graduation, young Jack junior school I had to go to work at a canning factory. For a 10-12 hour working day, the future author of immortal stories received one dollar. The work was hard and exhausting; according to the writer’s recollections, he did not want to turn into a “work animal” - such thoughts pushed the teenager to leave the factory.

In his youth, Jack London was drawn to adventure; perhaps the passion for adventure was passed on to Jack from his mother. So filled with hope to end poverty, a 15-year-old boy borrows $300 from his nanny Jenny and buys a used schooner. "Captain Jack" assembles a pirate crew from his teenage friends and sets off to conquer the "oyster territories." Thus, Jack and his comrades stole shellfish from a private bay in San Francisco.

Young sea wolves sold their conquered prey to local restaurants and they received good money: Jack even saved up three hundred to pay off his debt to the nanny. But in California they began to monitor the illegal pirate business more closely, so London had to leave the profitable business. In addition, money spoiled the young man: most of the funds were spent on a riotous lifestyle, endless drinking bouts and fights.

Jack London fell in love with sea adventures, so he willingly agreed to serve as a “fishing patrol” to fight poachers, and in 1893 the future writer set off on his first voyage to the shores of Japan to catch fur seals.

London was impressed by sailing; later, autobiographical stories became the basis of the collection “Stories of the Fishing Patrol,” and the writer’s adventures influenced the plots of many “sea” novels. After traveling by water, London again had to return to the position of a factory worker, only now he worked at a factory for the production of textile fabric from jute. In 1894, Jack takes part in the march of the unemployed on Washington, and later the young guy is arrested for vagrancy - this moment in his life became key for writing the story “Straitjacket.”

At the age of 19, the young man passed the exams and entered the University of California, but was forced to leave his studies due to lack of money. After grueling wanderings around factories and part-time jobs where they pay a pittance, London comes to the conclusion that he is not ready to lead a “bestial” lifestyle, full of physical labor, which was not appreciated.

Literature

London began trying himself as a writer while still at the jute factory: then the working day lasted 13 hours, and he had no time left for stories: to a young guy I needed at least an hour a day to spend time having fun.

In San Francisco, the local newspaper Call offered a prize for best story. Flora encouraged her son to take part, and London’s literary talent began to manifest itself as early as school years when, instead of singing, the boy wrote compositions. So, knowing that he needs to be at work at 5 am, Jack sits down at midnight to write a story, and this lasts for three nights. The young man chose “Typhoon off the coast of Japan” as his theme.

London sat down to write the story, sleepy and exhausted, but his work took first place, and second and third places went to students from prestigious universities. After this incident, London begins to seriously think about writing career. Jack writes a few more stories and sends them to the newspaper, which chose him as the winner, but the editors rejected the young man.

Then hope again left the young talent, and London was sent as a laborer to a power plant. After learning that a colleague committed suicide due to lack of money, Jack regains his belief that he is capable of fighting.

In 1897, Jack London was obsessed with the gold rush and went in search of precious metal to Alaska. Jack failed to mine gold and get rich, and he also fell ill with scurvy.

“I gave up writing, deciding that I was a failure, and went to the Klondike for gold,” recalled the great writer.

Later, all the adventures of the future writer will become the basis of his numerous stories and novels. So, after returning from gold mining in 1899, London began serious literary career and writes “Northern stories”, for example, “White Silence”. A year later, the writer publishes his first book, “Son of the Wolf.” Jack devotes all his energy to writing books: the young author wrote almost the whole day, leaving a few hours for rest and sleep.

In 1902, Jack moved to the capital of Great Britain, where he wrote significant stories and novels: “The Call of the Wild” (1903), “White Fang” (1906), “Martin Eden” (1909), “Time Waits Not” (1910), “ Valley of the Moon" (1913), etc.

to his best work Jack considered "Little Mistress big house» – tragic romance, published in 1916. This work differs from the writer’s adventure and adventurous books. The novel was written in the last year of London's life and reflects the inherent mood of the American at that time.

Personal life

Jack London's literary work reflects his personal life. After all, all the writer’s heroes are people who struggle with life’s difficulties, despite the obstacles. For example, the story “Love of Life,” published in 1907, tells the story of a lonely man who, after the betrayal of a friend, goes on a journey. The main character receives a leg injury and encounters wild animals one-on-one, but continues to move forward. This is how London itself can be characterized, because not every adult can experience what the writer encountered in childhood.

In life, Jack was a cheerful and funny person who smiled all the time. Jack was selective in his choice of woman, and in 1900 he married the fiancée of his deceased friend, Bessie Maddern.

From his first marriage, the writer had two daughters, Bass and Joan. But family life the author of the books cannot be considered happy: after 4 years, London told his wife that he intended to get a divorce. Why did Jack's feelings suddenly cool down? ex-wife I wondered for a long time, the first assumption was that London had resumed her affair with Anna Strunskaya.

Maddern later learned that London was in a relationship with Charmian Kittredge, whom the writer initially could not stand. The girl was not distinguished by beauty, and also did not shine with intelligence; sometimes her acquaintances laughed at Charmian, as she ran after men. Why the writer left his previous wife and began to get carried away with the unsightly bride is anyone’s guess. It later became clear that Kittredge had captivated London with numerous letters of declarations of love. At least London had fun with his new wife, because she is the same as the writer - a lover of adventure and travel.

Death

On recent years In his life, Jack London experienced a creative decline: the writer did not have the strength or inspiration to write a new work, he began to look at literature with disgust. As a result of this, the writer begins to abuse alcohol. Jack managed to quit bad habit, but alcohol greatly affected his health.

He suffered from kidney disease and died from poisoning with morphine, a painkiller. Some biographers of London believe that the drug overdose was planned, and Jack committed suicide. There were prerequisites for this: the theme of suicide can be traced in the writer’s works. However, this version cannot be considered reliable.

Jack London's last novel was Hearts of Three, published posthumously in 1920.

• Jack London did everything he could to get money. In his youth, the guy even hunted street cats to sell meat to the Chinese.
• In 1907, the adventurer tried to go on a trip around the world on a ship built according to his own drawings.
• London admired Russian writers and appreciated their creativity.
• I read the story “Love of Life” before going to bed. This happened 2 days before the death of the leader.
• Throughout his life, London was kind to dogs and especially loved wolves. And this is not surprising, because Jack’s numerous stories describe the life of this wild animal. These include “White Fang”, “Brown Wolf”, etc.

• In the moment creative crisis Jack was unable to write the plot himself, so the writer bought the idea for the novel from Sinclair Lewis in 1910. Jack began working on the book "The Murder Bureau", but never finished the work. According to the writer, he did not come up with a logical continuation of Lewis's idea.
• Jack worked as a correspondent during the Russo-Japanese and Mexican Civil Wars.
• When London became famous, he received $50,000 per book. Rumor has it that Jack became the first American literary figure to earn a million.

Quotes

• “You shouldn’t wait for inspiration, you have to chase it with a baton.”
• “If you think clearly, you will write clearly; if your thought is valuable, your writing will be valuable.”
• “A person should not see himself in his true form, then life becomes unbearable.”
• “Life always gives a person less than he requires from it.”
• “If you concealed the truth, hid it, if you did not get up from your seat and did not speak at the meeting, if you spoke without telling the whole truth, you have betrayed the truth.”
• “Intoxication always lends a hand to us when we fail, when we weaken, when we are tired. But his promises are false: physical strength"It promises is illusory, the elation is deceptive."
• “I'd rather be ashes than dust. It would be better for my flame to dry up in a blinding flash than for mold to choke it out!”

Bibliography

• 1903 - Call of the Wild
• 1904 - Sea Wolf
• 1906 - White Fang
• 1909 - Martin Eden
• 1912 - Scarlet Plague
• 1913 - John Barleycorn
• 1915 - Straitjacket
• 1916 - The Little Mistress of the Big House
• 1917 - Jerry the Islander
• 1920 - Hearts of Three

Jack London, born John Griffith Chaney, was born on January 12, 1876 in San Francisco, USA. He was the son of the unmarried Flora Wellman and astrologer William Cheney.

In 1876, Flora married John London, a veteran of the American Civil War, and the family moved to the city of Oakland, neighboring San Francisco, where John graduated from high school.

John began working early: as a schoolboy he sold morning and evening newspapers; at the age of 14 he entered a canning factory as a worker; for some time he caught oysters in San Francisco Bay, which was prohibited by law. In 1893, he hired himself as a sailor on a fishing schooner, going to catch seals off the coast of Japan and in the Bering Sea. Returning home seven months later, he got a job as a worker at a jute factory.

At the same time, John London took part in the San Francisco Call newspaper's competition for the best story and received first prize of $25 for the story "Typhoon off the Japanese Coast."

In 1894 he joined the march of the unemployed on Washington; I spent a month in prison for vagrancy.

He prepared independently and successfully passed the exams at the University of California, but, not having sufficient funds, was forced to quit his studies after the third semester.

In the spring of 1897, the future writer succumbed to the “gold rush” and left for Alaska. Upon returning, he decided to devote himself to literature. Name Jack - literary pseudonym. Jack London's first northern stories were published in 1899, and in 1900 the collection of stories "Son of the Wolf" was published.

At the center of London's stories is a clash of strong, courageous characters, each of whom embodies their own understanding of the norms and values ​​of life. Events unfold against the backdrop of an important choice for people - the ability and inability to live in harmony with the natural world around them, to feel and accept it strict laws, against the backdrop of an uncompromising struggle for justice and human dignity.

In 1901, the collection of stories “The God of His Fathers” was published, and in 1902 the first novel “Daughter of the Snows” was published. Then the stories about animals “The Call of the Wild” (1903) and “White Fang” (1906) were published. In 1907, a utopian warning novel, The Iron Heel, was published.

In 1907-1909, Jack London made a sea voyage on the Snark yacht, built by him according to his own drawings.

The autobiographical novel Martin Eden was published in 1909, the novel Valley of the Moon in 1913, and The Little Mistress of the Big House in 1916.

In total, Jack London wrote more than 50 books, hundreds of stories and numerous articles. Some of his works have been translated into 70 languages.

Jack London was a war correspondent during Russo-Japanese War(1904-1905). In 1914 he worked as a war correspondent in Mexico.

In 1905, London purchased a ranch in Glen Ellen, California, which he constantly expanded by purchasing new land. The writer dreamed of building huge house called "House of the Wolf", all the numerous fees were invested in the construction. On his ranch, he conducted agricultural experiments on an unprecedented scale; he employed more than 80 people. In 1913, the house, already ready for delivery, burned down.

On November 22, 1916, Jack London died at his estate in Glen Ellen. His ashes were buried on a hill near the ranch.

In 1920, the writer’s novel “Hearts of Three” was published posthumously, in which London turned to a new genre American literature- film story.

Jack London was married twice. His first wife was Bessie Maddern, from this marriage the writer had two daughters - Joan and Bassie. Jack London's second wife was Charmian Kittredge.

In 1960, the Jack London State Historical Park was opened on the writer's estate in Glen Ellen.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources