Jack London

Jack London (1876-1916) was an American novelist and short story writer whose adventure stories reflect his view of life as an elemental struggle for survival. Born into poverty in San Francisco, California, he would eventually become the first American writer to become a millionaire solely on the basis of his literary work.

Leaving school at around the age of 13 or 14, he supported himself with work varying from being a seaman to working in a cannery and mill and shoveling coal. Following the financial Panic of 1893, he crosssed the continent with "Kelley's Army" of unemployed and, when it dispersed, led the life of a vagabond hobo.

These experiences not only provided material for his literary efforts, but played a crucial role in shaping his philosophical and political outlook. From this period dates the combination of social Darwiniwsm and socialism which characterized much of his later life and writings.

Easily the most popular American writer of the early 20th century, his Call of the Wild remains an enduring favorite. Drawing on his experiences during the Alaska Gold Rush of 1897-98, this work is often mistaken for little more than an adventure story for adolescent boys, but in reality it embodies his most deeply held views on the nature of existence, including the idea (or, perhaps, insight) that there is an essential nature to all living beings which can never be completely extinguished no matter how overlain it may be with the trappings of civilization.