1. JACK LONDON(1876-1916)
Was born in San Francisco
Mother- Flora Wellman(interested in spiritism)
Probable Father- William
Chaney(journalist,lawyer,astrologer)
He wanted her to have an abortion
Was raised by an ex-slave Virginia Prentiss
1876 Flora married John London(partially disabled
Civil War veteran)
They moved to Oakland

3. ADOLESCENT
Worked at various hard labor jobs
Pirated for oysters on San Francisco Bay
Sailed the Pacific on a sealing ship(near Japan)
He was very impressed by his first sailing
When he was 23, he wrote a letter to William Chaney
 Member of WORKER’S Socialistic Party in USA
In 1897 went to Alaska- influence of THE GOLD RUSH

4. Private LIFE
Wanted to have a big house, children
Married Elizabeth Maddern
They Had two daughters
Divorced, his life with Charmian Kitteredge
Together with Charmian traveled by ship called
SNARK(Started to write Martin Iden)
Visited Hawaii, Taiti
Developed Kidney disease of unknown origin
Died in 1916, overdosed with morphine

7. INTERESTING FACTS
His real name was JOHN GRIFFITH LONDON
Among most publicized figures of his day
Most paid. Earned till 50 thousand dollars for 1 book
Among 1st writers who worked with movie industry
His novel “THE SEA-WOLF” became the basis for the
first full-length American movie
Was very popular in USSR, because he was socialist
There is a lake in Russia, Magadan called after the
name of Jack London

10. Began writing at the age of 17,when he won essay
contest.
First book “The Son of the Wolfe” published in
1900
Wrote 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."

11. Style of writing
 Naturalism(environment and animals)
 Adventure(Canada , Alaska , Pacific islands,California)
 Wrote from socialist viewpoint.(The Iron Heel)
 Drama, suspense , humor, even romance.

12. Accusations of plagiarism
 He 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"

13. 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

14. Short Stories Collections
 "An Old Soldier's Story" (1894)
 "Who Believes in Ghosts!" (1895) •"Who Believes in Ghosts!"
 "And 'FRISCO Kid Came Back" (1895) (1895)
 "Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (1895) •"An Old Soldier's Story" (1894)
 "One More Unfortunate" (1895) •"And 'FRISCO Kid Came Back"
 "Sakaicho, Hona Asi And Hakadaki" (1895)
(1895) •"Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay"
 "A Klondike Christmas" (1897) (1895)
 "Mahatma's Little Joke" (1897) •"One More Unfortunate" (1895)
 "O Haru" (1897) •"Sakaicho, Hona Asi And
 "Plague Ship" (1897) Hakadaki" (1895)
 "The Strange Experience Of A •"A Klondike Christmas" (1897)
Misogynist" (1897) •"Mahatma's Little Joke" (1897)
 "Two Gold Bricks" •"O Haru" (Experience Of A
Misogynist" (1897)

15. To build a fire
 This story was published in 1908
 The 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.

16. Summary
 A man is traveling on the Yukon Trail on a very cold
day (−75 °F/−59 °C)
 He becomes scared and builds a fire
 The man decides to kill the dog
 Two main characters the man and his dog
 Nature is portrayed as the antagonist