![]() ![]() ![]() Working in a canning factory as a teenager, he received an early education in manual labour: he later claimed to have become a writer (a ‘vendor of brains’) because it was less destructive to the body than physical toil.Īn adventurous youth, he spent time as an oyster pirate, as a sailor on a whaling ship off the coast of Japan, and as a hobo riding freight trains across the United States. He never knew his real father, and his early life was a struggle. London was born into a working-class family in Oakland, in the San Francisco Bay area. A follower of Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche and Herbert Spencer, he combined revolutionary socialist principles with troubling views on race. Yet London’s life, work and beliefs were more complex (if no less disturbing) than the conventional narrative suggests. Most serious of all are the accusations of white supremacy. Scholars have viewed his work as lacking intellectual complexity - as being macho adventure tales or dog books for children. ![]() His novels continue to be popular, but his standing in academic circles has never been high. He left behind a number of important stories, but also a difficult legacy. Some rights reserved.On November 22, 1916, the American author Jack London died. ![]()
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