Jack London

Biography

Jack London, born John Griffith Chaney in 1876, was an influential American author and journalist recognized for his adventure novels, including The Call of the Wild and White Fang. His works often drew on his personal experiences with labor, poverty, and the Yukon Gold Rush. Raised in a working-class family in San Francisco, London left school at 14 to work in various manual labor jobs, and became a socialist activist advocating for the working class. He gained prominence after his 1903 novel The Call of the Wild, which was inspired by his experiences in the Yukon. London was also a pioneer in the emerging genre of science fiction, with notable works such as Martin Eden and The Sea-Wolf. He produced approximately 300 literary works during his lifetime and achieved international fame before his death in 1916 at the age of 40, leaving a lasting impact on literature.