The best stories of Jack London. Jack London - biography, photos, books, personal life of the writer

The most legendary American writer— Jack London (books). The list contains best works author, for which he became famous throughout the world.

Martin Eden

The novel tells about the difficult fate of a poor guy who later became a writer. Martin's life was turned upside down by his meeting with Ruth, an intelligent educated girl, who immediately fell in love with the young man. Experiencing such strong feelings like love, Martin changes externally and internally, stops communicating with old acquaintances and suddenly realizes how insignificant the world and its love are. Further

Little Mistress of the Big House

The work, released shortly before Jack London's death, is dedicated to relationships strong personalities. The novel is full of love intricacies and intrigues, but this does not prevent it from being noble. According to the writer himself, this is his best job, in which he managed to truly convey the feelings and emotions that love evokes in people’s hearts. Further

Hearts of three

The exciting story of a young millionaire Francis and his cousin Henry Morgan, whose distant ancestor was the famous pirate captain. The brothers go in search of an ancient treasure and when they are joined by charming girl named Leoncia, both fall in love with her. The novel has been filmed many times both in the West and in Russia. Further

You can subjugate a person, but you cannot kill his desire to be free - the main theme of a little-known work in Russia. Crazy by the standards of others, main character knows how to leave his body and travel through ancient countries and eras. His physical body is locked, but does that matter if the soul moves freely at any time... Continue

A work called a road novel because of the hero’s constant wanderings in search of a place where he would be truly happy. In the novel, Jack London expresses his protest against socialism and sees a future in farm life. After several years of searching and wandering, the main characters leave the city, finding their happiness in life on a farm in the Valley of the Moon. Further

World big business cruel and knows no mercy. Having received money and long-awaited power, the main character of the novel suddenly realizes that the real human values- this is loyalty, love and a strong family. He refuses financial well-being and remains to live with the woman he loves far from the city. The novel was banned in the Soviet Union and for a long time not published. Further

Professor Darrell sentenced to death penalty and is awaiting punishment in prison. During a brutal straitjacket punishment, he suddenly finds himself in his previous incarnations in different countries and eras: the intelligent Count Guillaume de Saint-Maur in France of the Middle Ages, a nine-year-old boy who did not cower in a moment of danger, the head of the legion under Pontius Pilate... Continue

Jack London's first novel, Daughter of the Snows, tells the story of the travels of a young American woman, Frona Wells. Many years later, she returns to her father, having received an excellent, comprehensive education, but without losing human sincerity and simplicity. The book includes several stories different years, describing the life of treasure hunters during the gold rush. Further

One of Jack London's best novels. After a storm on the ship, the captain of the schooner "Ghost" saves the life of a young sailor, Humphrey. To survive and be able to protect his love, the young man will have to fight a cunning and cruel captain who promotes a special philosophy. Only real love will help Humphrey overcome obstacles and become a real sea wolf himself. Further

White Fang

The harsh North leaves a mark on the souls of people and animals. The main character of the story is a wolf named White Fang— learned to survive even in the most terrible conditions. Jack London describes in detail the psychology, behavior and actions of White Fang, showing how care and affection towards the animal teaches him to give love. But for a tame wolf love was worth more valuable than life. Further

Adventure

The novel "Adventure" tells about the dangerous life of white colonists among the cannibal natives in the Solomon Islands. The work depicts in detail the ways of life, traditions and rituals of the indigenous peoples of some of the most mysterious islands on Earth. In the Soviet Union, the novel was called racist and was banned from publication for sixty-four long years. Further

Iron heel

The writer, as if looking into the future, accurately describes the society that appeared several years after the publication of the novel. And to this day, the work has not lost its relevance: billionaires, terrorists, spies... Nineteen years have already passed, and, despite all efforts, no one has been able to figure out who dropped the bomb. It was some member of the Iron Heel, but how could he get past our agents undetected? Further

Scarlet Plague

In 2013, an unknown virus hits the Earth, killing people in a few hours. A disease called the Scarlet Plague takes over the planet, leaving only a few alive. Jack London's book "The Scarlet Plague" talks about a new society where completely different rules apply, similar to the laws of the animal world and absolutely wild for modern man. Further

An exciting story about a dangerous voyage in the southern seas on a sailing ship sailing to Cape Horn. After tragic death Captain, the crew of the sailing ship was divided into two groups. Conflicts among the sailors and the raging elements force the main character to stop silently observing what is happening and finally become himself - strong-willed and strong man With leadership qualities. Further

The remarkable writer of the turn of the century, Jack London (his real name is John Griffith), wrote about the fate of ordinary people of your country. The writer's love for working people, the desire for social justice, hatred of selfishness and greed are close and understandable to democratic readers around the world. Young people read his novels, stories, and stories with enthusiasm.

Born into the family of an impoverished farmer, London began working as a newspaper seller, a cannery worker, and traveled many roads in search of income. It was then that London learned the fate of the working people of capitalist America, whom unemployment turned into homeless vagabonds. He sailed as a sailor on a fishing schooner in Pacific Ocean, changed many professions and, finally, “sick” with the so-called gold fever, in 1897 he went to Alaska, where gold had been discovered shortly before. He failed to get rich, but the impressions he received in Alaska served him as material for his first fascinating stories about man's struggle with the harsh northern nature.

Already London’s early works (the collection of stories “Northern Odyssey”, “Tales of the South Seas”) attracted people with their love of nature and the romance of adventure. His brave heroes live far from capitalist cities, from the world of self-interest and predation. These are energetic people who are loyal in their friendship. This is Mason in the story “White Silence”. He is crushed by a tree, but is not afraid of death. His last concern is not about himself, but about his companions. Mason asks that they not risk their lives for him and continue on their way to human habitation.

Courage and perseverance help the almost dying man in the story “Love of Life” to defeat the wolf. V.I. Lenin really liked this story by D. London.

The writer has many works (“White Fang”, “The Call of the Wild”, “Michael, Brother Jerry”), where he depicts animals with deep knowledge and warmth.

Jack London, who experienced humiliation and the severe torment of unemployment, knew well that it is not only harsh nature that a person is forced to fight when defending personal freedom. The writer sees the path to genuine freedom for people in the struggle against social injustice. He develops these thoughts in famous novel“The Iron Heel” (1907), which at one time was read by workers in many countries. The novel sounded confident of victory socialist revolution over the world of capitalist evil, despite possible temporary defeats. During this period, Jack London was directly involved in the American labor movement, but stepped aside during its quiet years. One of the best and most profound books in London, the novel Martin Eden (1909), is dedicated to the fate of the writer in bourgeois society, tragic even if he eventually achieved fame and fortune. The hero of the work, Martin Eden, is a man of the people. At the cost of enormous efforts and sacrifices, he managed to fulfill his dream and become famous writer. But fame brought him only a feeling of deep disappointment and spiritual emptiness. Eden saw how selfish and insignificant the people who had previously seemed to him to be carriers of culture were. He came to the false conclusion that true art, no one needs the art of truth. In a state of deep mental loneliness and disappointment in one’s creative possibilities Martin commits suicide.

IN last years London wrote several works that were small in content and artistically weak, trying to adapt to the limited tastes of the bourgeois-philistine reader.

But we appreciate best books London, in which his love of freedom, respect for creative energy, courage, human strength are revealed, where passionate love the author to the majestic and inexhaustible beauty of nature.

(estimates: 3 , average: 3,67 out of 5)

Jack London, whose real name is John Griffith Cheney, was born in the middle of winter - January 12, 1876 in the States. The parents of the future writer cannot be called ordinary: John’s mother was always stubborn, self-willed, and besides, she was involved in spiritualism; his father was an astrologer and loved adventure, which was inherited by Jack London.

Little John received the surname “London” when he was not even a year old. During this time his mother married a member Civil War, John London. Soon my stepfather's surname became creative pseudonym writer. By the way, Jack is just a shortened version of the name John.

Jack was accustomed to hard work since childhood: as a schoolboy, he sold newspapers. To earn money, he got up before dawn. Both before and after classes the boy returned to work. Oddly enough, this did not stop him from reading: as a child, Jack liked adventure literature most of all.

Jack London loved the sea no less than books, so at the age of thirteen he bought a small boat with his own money. On it he took boat trips, fished and read.

When Jack turned fifteen, he had to get a job in a canning factory, since the family had almost no money left to live on. The conditions at the factory were terrible, the wages were pitiful, and people were injured every day. Energetic Jack could not stand the monotonous mechanical work, so he began to look for alternative ways to earn money. So he began to engage in illegal oyster fishing and, wild life, spent all his earnings on drinking bouts. Having come to his senses in time, Jack hired a ship for legal work - catching fur seals.

In general, in my youth future writer managed to try almost all the “delights” of life: after working on a ship for six months, he joined the march of the unemployed, and as a result lived for the same amount of time with vagabonds. During this period, Jack decides to get an education and start writing career. Now he began his intellectual work: he graduated high school and even passed entrance exams V University of California Berkeley. But since young London did not have enough money, he had to give up his studies.

Jack began writing his first stories and novels at the age of 22. All his works were constantly returned from the editorial offices of newspapers and magazines, which soon served as the basis for writing a novel. After six months of persistent unsuccessful attempts, his story was finally published.

The dizzying success became a real gift of fate for Jack London: now he earned incomparably more than ever and could afford everything he wanted. Yes, the writer, who grew up in poverty, highly valued his wealth.

Jack London lived only forty years, but managed to write more than two hundred stories, novellas and novels. His works became known throughout the world, and “White Fang” and “Hearts of Three” were included in school curriculum. But the main thing is not even this, but the fact that this man, thanks to his perseverance, courage and hard work, managed to make his dream come true.

Jack London, bibliography

All books by Jack London:

Novels

• 1902 - “Daughter of the Snows”
• 1903 - ""
• 1903 - “Letters from Campton to Wes”
• 1904 — " "
• 1906 - ""
• 1908 - ""
• 1909 - ""
• 1910 — “Time-can’t-wait”
• 1911 - “Adventure”
• 1912 — “The Scarlet Plague”
• 1913 - ""
• 1914 - "Mutiny on Elsinore"
• 1915 — "

Jack London is an American prose writer, short story writer, publicist, classic of world literature of the twentieth century.

The future writer was born on January 12, 1876 into a poor family in San Francisco. At birth he was given the name John Cheney, but eight months later, when his mother married, he became John Griffith London. In 1889, London graduated from high school.

London's youth came at a time of economic depression and unemployment, financial situation the family became increasingly precarious. In 1893, London set sail for eight months to fish for fur seals. Upon returning, he takes part in literary competition- writes the essay “Typhoon off the coast of Japan” and wins the first prize.

By the age of twenty-three, London had changed many occupations, was arrested for vagrancy and speaking at socialist rallies, was a prospector in Alaska during the Gold Rush, was a student, sailed as a sailor, and participated in the march of the unemployed.

His short 40-year life included years of serious study. agriculture on a ranch in California, working as a correspondent during the Russo-Japanese War, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the Mexican Revolution. Jack London also lectured at Harvard and Yale, and was an activist of the Socialist Party - until he became disillusioned with its ideals. He was seriously ill several times, including scurvy and tropical fever; was married twice.

Having adopted the views of K. Marx, G. Spencer and F. Nietzsche, London developed his own philosophy. Being a socialist, he decided that capitalism was the easiest way to make money writing work and starting with short stories in the Overland Monthly, soon conquered the literary market on the East Coast with tales of adventure in Alaska. Neo-romantic stories and stories about the North, prose about life at sea combine poetry harsh nature, selfless courage depicting severe physical and moral trials.

In 1900, London published its first collection of short stories, The Son of the Wolf. Over the next seventeen years, he published two or even three books a year. London gains fame, his financial situation stabilizes, he marries Elizabeth Maddern, and has two daughters.

A collection of short stories, “The God of His Fathers” (1901); the novel “Daughter of the Snows” and the book “Men of Abyss” about the life of the poorest quarter of London’s East End (1902); story “The Call of the Wild” (1903). In 1904, one of the most famous novels London " Sea wolf"about Captain Wolf Larsen. In the same year, London goes on a business trip to Korea for Russian-Japanese war. Upon returning, he divorces his wife and marries her ex-girlfriend Charmaine Kittredge.

In 1905, The War of the Classes appeared, a political work outlining the revolutionary socialist views of London. In 1907, the utopian apocalyptic novel “The Iron Heel” about class war was published.

In 1907-1909 London commits cruise on the yacht “Snark”, built by him according to his own drawings. In 1909, the autobiographical novel Martin Eden was published about a sailor who makes his way the hard way to the heights of knowledge and literary fame.

In 1913, an autobiographical treatise on alcoholism, John Barleycorn, a tragic argument in favor of Prohibition, and the novel The Valley of the Moon appeared.

On November 22, 1916, London died in Glen Ellen (California) from a lethal dose of morphine, which he took either to moderate the pain caused by uremia, or deliberately, wanting to commit suicide.

In 1920, the novel “ Hearts of three"(Hearts of Three), in which London turns to a new but very promising genre American literature- film story.

In less than 20 years literary activity Jack London created over 200 stories, 20 novels and 3 plays. The themes of his works are no less diverse than his life. The most famous is the cycle of his works, conventionally called “Northern Odyssey”, which includes, along with others, the stories “The Call of the Wild” (1903) and “White Fang” (1906), the stories “The Law of Life” (1901), “Love of Life” "(1905), "Bonfire" (1908).

London's prose style - clear and at the same time figurative - had a significant influence on many writers of the twentieth century, in particular Hemingway, Orwell, Mailer, Kerouac.

American writer and public figure, author of famous social and adventure novels, novellas and short stories. In his work, he glorified the inflexibility of the human spirit and love of life. Works such as “White Fang”, “The Call of the Wild” and “Martin Eden” made him one of the most famous and highly paid writers in the entire history of the United States (his fee reached up to 50 thousand dollars per book, which was a fantastic amount at the beginning of the 20th century century).

We decided to remember best novels and the writer's stories.

Martin Eden

One of the most significant works Jack London. A young sailor named Martin Eden saves an unknown young man from death, who, in gratitude, invites him to dinner party. Finding himself in noble society for the first time, the uncouth and clumsy Martin meets the young man's sister, Ruth Morse, and she instantly wins his heart. He understands that he to a simple guy, never be together with a girl like her. However, Martin does not know how to give up and decides to quit his old life and become better, smarter and more educated in order to win the heart of Ruth.

This famous “northern” story by Jack London talks about willpower and the laws of survival, about courage and perseverance, about devotion and true friendship. White Fang is not only the main character of the work: most of history is shown through his eyes. In this book you will find a story about the fate of a proud and freedom-loving animal, in which the blood of a ferocious predator flows. He will have to face both cruelty and best qualities human soul: nobility, kindness, mutual assistance, selflessness.

Call of the Wild

Dog traffickers kidnap Beck, a young half-breed dog, from his owner's house and sell him to Alaska. The harsh land, overwhelmed by the Gold Rush, so unlike his sunny homeland, requires Beck to focus all his vital forces. If he cannot revive the memory of his wild ancestors, he will inevitably die...

"The Call of the Wild" is one of the best early works Jack London. The author focuses the reader's attention on the law that governs the animal world: the individual that is able to adapt better than others to changing environmental conditions survives. This story became a kind of artistic rethinking of American reality at the beginning of the 20th century.

Wolf Larsen is the captain of a fishing schooner, a cruel and cynical sailor who can easily kill a person. But at the same time, he is a lonely philosopher, a fan of the works of Shakespeare and Tennyson. In his novel, Jack London describes his sea travels and masterfully reveals the image of this controversial man.

"Hearts of Three" - last novel London, his fiftieth anniversary book. The reader is waiting extraordinary adventures, searching for mysterious treasures and, of course, love.

Francis Morgan is the son of a deceased millionaire, born an aristocrat. It all starts with a search for the treasure of the founder of the family - the formidable pirate Henry Morgan, then an unexpected meeting, unexpected capture, liberation, pursuit, treasures, the village of Lost Souls with a beautiful queen... The action takes place almost continuously, the heroes, not having time to get out of one unpleasant situation, immediately fall into another.

The story of the Morgan cousins ​​and the beautiful Leoncia, with whom they are both in love, has been filmed more than once - both in the West and in Russia.