Jack London1876-1916Political Activist and Writer

Childhood Mother was Flora Wellman, a spiritualist and

music teacher Father was astrologer William Chaney Both parents were financially and

emotionally unstable—Wellman shot herself when Chaney demanded she abort the baby. Then, she gave the baby to an ex-slave named Virginia Prentiss to raise

When Flora recovered and married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran

Childhood, continued John Griffith Chaney became John Griffith

London and took the nickname of Jack The family lived in and around the San

Francisco Bay area, ultimately settling in Oakland where Jack finished grade school

His schooling was sporadic because of constant moves—family would be evicted for non-payment of rent

Work Was a child laborer

Swept saloons and pool halls

1889—began 12-18-hour shifts in a cannery

Borrowed enough to buy a small boat, became and oyster pirate

1893—signed on as a sailor on a voyage to Japan

Joined Kelley’s Army and marched all the way to Buffalo, NY

Returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School in return for janitorial work. Began writing of his experiences

Studied and gained entrance to UC Berkeley in 1896, but left in 1897 and never graduated

First stories appeared in the high school paper

Formal EducationBeginnings of his writing career

Heinhold’s Saloon London loved his experiences as a sailor Heinhold’s Saloon was a hangout for

experienced sailors. He adopted it as a second—and sometimes first—home

Listened to the stories being told here and used them in his writing

Also was the beginning of his struggle with alcohol. His attraction to and attractiveness to women was already established

The Klondike London at 21 sailed

for the Gold Rush—the Klondike

No gold, but he did find dozens of experiences which he used in his writing

He also developed scurvy, which debilitated his body

His time in the Klondike gave him the basis for “To Build a Fire,” White Fang, and The Call of the Wild

It also gave him his politics—socialism—and a social conscience

Explosion of Magazines London had good

timing His writing career

coincided with the development of cheaper ways to print magazines, which needed content

By 1900 he was selling enough short stories and other works to earn $2500 ($65,00+ today)

Call of the Wild—1903—sold as a serial in a magazine and as a novel on its own—typical publishing method

Love and Marriage (Not with the same woman)

Marriages Bessie Maddern

(1900)—2 children—divorced 1904

Charmian Kittredge (1905)

Great Love Anna Strunsky

Writing for MoneyRanch

Bought ranch near Glen Ellen, California, in the Sonoma Mountains

Wrote many stories, articles and a few books to pay for the ranch, which bled money

Spent $80,000 on a stone mansion on the ranch ($1.95 million now), but it burned a week before they were to move in

Politics London was a socialist Agitated for child labor laws Wrote several polemics (see definition)

concerning child labor Ran for several offices in California Racial views

Complex—worried about “Yellow Peril” Wrote sympathetically about Mexican

immigrants, Japanese culture, and Jack Johnson, a black boxer

End of his Life Believed for years to be a suicide Death is attributed to uremia (uremic

poisoning from kidney disease) or a morphine overdose

He suffered toward the end of his life from the after-effects of late-stage alcoholism as well as dysentery, uremia, and the results of scurvy