Jack London's Biography and Contribution to Literature

Jack London was born in San Francisco in 1876. His mother was not married and he was mostly raised by Virginia Prentiss, a previous slave, because his mother had a bad illness. John Griffith Chaney is thought to be Jack’s birth given name, and his birth father thought to be William Chaney. His mother soon married John London and as a family they moved to Oakland. In Oakland Jack held many different physical laboring jobs only having finished grade school. At the age of nineteen, London went back to high school where he was introduced to socialism and later became a writer. Once London became noticed as a writer with this publication of Overland Monthlyi, he went on to write and to be considered one strong publicized figure in his time. Jack’s pieces went on to be made into movie films and he worked in that industry as well. In his fame he took on the socialism role and spoke publically regarding the socialism issues including woman’s rights, though his personal relationships with his two wives and daughters shined a different light.  His first wife, Bess Maddern was chosen based on a selection for “good breeding”, but not love which he got this idea from a book he had previously take part in. He had two daughters with Bess, but later divorced and remarried Charmian Kittredge. London became ill with kidney disease and died of renal failure in 1916. His works are still read and known today in the United States and many other countries.  In his time as a writer, London wrote 50 books and is best known for his books The Call of the Wild and White Fang.

 

Stasz, Dr. Clarice. Jack [John Griffith] London. 19 08 2001. 05 04 2012 <http://london.sonoma.edu/jackbio.html>.