JACK LONDON(1876-1916)Was born in San FranciscoMother- Flora Wellman(interested in

spiritism)Probable Father- William

Chaney(journalist,lawyer,astrologer)He wanted her to have an abortionWas raised by an ex-slave Virginia Prentiss1876 Flora married John London(partially

disabled Civil War veteran)They moved to Oakland

ADOLESCENTWorked at various hard labor jobsPirated for oysters on San Francisco BaySailed the Pacific on a sealing ship(near

Japan)He was very impressed by his first sailingWhen he was 23, he wrote a letter to William

Chaney Member of WORKER’S Socialistic Party in

USAIn 1897 went to Alaska- influence of THE

GOLD RUSH

Private LIFEWanted to have a big house, childrenMarried Elizabeth MaddernThey Had two daughtersDivorced, his life with Charmian KitteredgeTogether with Charmian traveled by ship

called SNARK(Started to write Martin Iden)Visited Hawaii, TaitiDeveloped Kidney disease of unknown originDied in 1916, overdosed with morphine

INTERESTING FACTSHis real name was JOHN GRIFFITH LONDONAmong most publicized figures of his dayMost paid. Earned till 50 thousand dollars for

1 bookAmong 1st writers who worked with movie

industryHis novel “THE SEA-WOLF” became the basis

for the first full-length American movieWas very popular in USSR, because he was

socialistThere is a lake in Russia, Magadan called

after the name of Jack London

Jack London’s works

Began writing at the age of 17,when he won essay contest.First book “The Son of the Wolfe” published in 1900Wrote 50 books :novels , short stories ,essays ,but most of them are fictions.His best works are Alaskan stories:"Call of the Wild" (1903), "White Fang" (1906), "Burning Daylight" (1910). Autobiographical novels: "The Road" (1907) and "John Barleycorn" (1913 ).Philosophic work “The Sea Wolfe” .Short stories: "To Build a Fire," "The Law of Life,""The White Silence."

Style of writingNaturalism(environment and animals)Adventure(Canada , Alaska , Pacific

islands,California)Wrote from socialist viewpoint.(The Iron Heel) Drama, suspense , humor, even romance.

Accusations of plagiarismHe purchased some ideas from

newspapers,novels.Egerton R. Young claimed “The Call of the

Wild” was taken from his book “My Dogs in the Northland”

Similarities between London’s “Moon-Face” and Frank Horris’s “"The Passing of Cock-eye Blacklock"

1906 New York World published 18 columns from Jack London’s short story “Love of Life”,It was identical to Augustus Biddleand J. K Macdonald, titled "Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun." London noted the World did not accuse him of "plagiarism," but only of "identity of time and situation"

Novels•The Cruise of the Dazzler (1902)•A Daughter of the Snows•The Kempton-Wace Letters(1903)(published anonymously, co-authored with Anna Strunsky)•The Sea-Wolf(1904)•The Game(1905)•White Fang(1906)•Before Adam(1907)•The Iron Heel(1908)•Martin Eden(1909)Burning Daylight(1910

Short Stories

"An Old Soldier's Story" (1894)"Who Believes in Ghosts!" (1895)"And 'FRISCO Kid Came Back" (1895)"Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (1895)"One More Unfortunate" (1895)"Sakaicho, Hona Asi And Hakadaki"

(1895)"A Klondike Christmas" (1897)"Mahatma's Little Joke" (1897)"O Haru" (1897)"Plague Ship" (1897)"The Strange Experience Of A

Misogynist" (1897)"Two Gold Bricks"

•"Who Believes in Ghosts!" (1895)•"An Old Soldier's Story" (1894)•"And 'FRISCO Kid Came Back" (1895)•"Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (1895)•"One More Unfortunate" (1895)•"Sakaicho, Hona Asi And Hakadaki" (1895)•"A Klondike Christmas" (1897)•"Mahatma's Little Joke" (1897)•"O Haru" (Experience Of A Misogynist" (1897)

Collections

To build a fireThis story was published in 1908The earlier version was first printed in

The Youth's Companion published May 29, 1902

A 1969 film was made by David Cobham, with Ian Hogg as the man, with the story read by Orson Welles.A French version was made in 2003 starring Olivier Pagès,and an American one with a modified story in 2008.

Summary A man is traveling on the Yukon Trail on a

very cold day (−75 °F/−59 °C)He becomes scared and builds a fireThe man decides to kill the dogTwo main characters the man and his dogNature is portrayed as the antagonist