Jack London
John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.
Jack London | |
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London in 1903 | |
| Born | John Griffith Chaney January 12, 1876 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | November 22, 1916 (aged 40) Glen Ellen, California, U.S. |
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| Literary movement | American Realism, Naturalism |
| Notable works | The Call of the Wild (1903) White Fang (1906) The Iron Heel (1908) Martin Eden (1909) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Joan London Bessie London |
| Signature | |
London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.
His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen".