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77-570: The general purposes of the California Writers Club are to provide a forum for literary criticism and for recognition of achievement, to discover new authors and assist them in developing their talent, and to sponsor educational meetings to promote professional growth. Early members of the club included Jack London , George Sterling , John Muir , Joaquin Miller , and the first California poet laureate , Ina Coolbrith . In 1914,

154-542: A tramp . In 1894, he spent 30 days for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at Buffalo , New York. In The Road , he wrote: Man-handling was merely one of the very minor unprintable horrors of the Erie County Pen. I say 'unprintable'; and in justice I must also say undescribable. They were unthinkable to me until I saw them, and I was no spring chicken in the ways of the world and

231-722: A Fire " (1902, revised in 1908), which many critics assess as his best. His landlords in Dawson were mining engineers Marshall Latham Bond and Louis Whitford Bond, educated at the Bachelor's level at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale and at the Master's level at Stanford , respectively. The brothers' father, Judge Hiram Bond , was a wealthy mining investor. While the Bond brothers were at Stanford, Hiram at

308-476: A Jack London Service Award in recognition of their contributions to the Club. Today, the California Writers Club has more than 1,800 members in 19 branches spread throughout California. Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London , was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he

385-522: A belief that they would produce sturdy children." Kingman says, "they were comfortable together... Jack had made it clear to Bessie that he did not love her, but that he liked her enough to make a successful marriage." London met Bessie through his friend at Oakland High School, Fred Jacobs; she was Fred's fiancée. Bessie, who tutored at Anderson's University Academy in Alameda California, tutored Jack in preparation for his entrance exams for

462-436: A boom in popular magazines aimed at a wide public audience and a strong market for short fiction. In 1900, he made $ 2,500 in writing, about $ 92,000 in today's currency. Among the works he sold to magazines was a short story known as either "Diable" (1902) or "Bâtard" (1904), two editions of the same basic story. London received $ 141.25 for this story on May 27, 1902. In the text, a cruel French Canadian brutalizes his dog, and

539-424: A calm, peaceful slumber devoid of suffering and pain. London's use of relaxing words dissuades the reader from feeling a great deal of sympathy for the man, as the death is merciful and graciously anticipated, rather than sad. In contrast to more dramatic depictions of death, London's depiction reveals death as a peaceful escape from tumult and pain. The description of the protagonist's death has been associated with

616-585: A child. Late in 1876, Flora Wellman married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran, and brought her baby John, later known as Jack, to live with the newly married couple. The family moved around the San Francisco Bay Area before settling in Oakland , where London completed public grade school. The Prentiss family moved with the Londons, and remained a stable source of care for

693-524: A few months, his sloop became damaged beyond repair. London hired on as a member of the California Fish Patrol . In 1893, he signed on to the sealing schooner Sophie Sutherland , bound for the coast of Japan. When he returned, the country was in the grip of the panic of '93 and Oakland was swept by labor unrest. After grueling jobs in a jute mill and a street-railway power plant, London joined Coxey's Army and began his career as

770-584: A home closer to his own in nearby Piedmont . In his letters London addressed Sterling as "Greek", owing to Sterling's aquiline nose and classical profile, and he signed them as "Wolf". London was later to depict Sterling as Russ Brissenden in his autobiographical novel Martin Eden (1910) and as Mark Hall in The Valley of the Moon (1913). In later life London indulged his wide-ranging interests by accumulating

847-425: A large amount of snow to tumble down from the branches overhead and extinguish the fire. The man quickly begins to lose sensation in his extremities and hurries to light another fire, now starting to understand the warnings about the life-threatening danger posed by the extreme cold. He lights the fire, igniting all of his matches and burning himself in the process due to the numbness in his hands. While trying to remove

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924-517: A literary orientation. Today, writers conferences are held by several of the Club's branches, such as South Bay's East of Eden Writers Conference, San Francisco/Peninsula's Jack London Writers Conference, and San Fernando Valley's conferences. Each attracts from 100 to 400 writers and dozens of literary agents, editors, authors, and publishers from all over the United States to present lectures, workshops, and panel discussions on all aspects of

1001-459: A means to an end: "I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate." Stasz writes that London "had taken fully to heart the vision, expressed in his agrarian fiction, of the land as the closest earthly version of Eden ... he educated himself through the study of agricultural manuals and scientific tomes. He conceived of

1078-681: A more melancholic but wiser person. "To Build a Fire" is an oft-cited example of the naturalist movement that portrays the conflict of man versus nature . It also reflects London's personal experiences in the Yukon Territory. The unnamed man, a chechaquo (newcomer to the Yukon), sets out to hike through the forests bordering the Yukon River on a winter day where the temperature has fallen to −75 °F (−59 °C). Having ignored warnings against traveling alone in such conditions, he

1155-586: A music teacher and spiritualist . Biographer Clarice Stasz and others believe London's father was astrologer William Chaney. Flora Wellman was living with Chaney in San Francisco when she became pregnant. Whether Wellman and Chaney were legally married is unknown. Stasz notes that in his memoirs, Chaney refers to London's mother Flora Wellman as having been "his wife"; he also cites an advertisement in which Flora called herself "Florence Wellman Chaney". According to Flora Wellman's account, as recorded in

1232-584: A perfect match." Their time together included numerous trips, including a 1907 cruise on the yacht Snark to Hawaii and Australia. Many of London's stories are based on his visits to Hawaii, the last one for 10 months beginning in December 1915. The couple also visited Goldfield , Nevada, in 1907, where they were guests of the Bond brothers, London's Dawson City landlords. The Bond brothers were working in Nevada as mining engineers. London had contrasted

1309-399: A personal library of 15,000 volumes. He referred to his books as "the tools of my trade". The Crowd gathered at the restaurants (including Coppa's ) at the old Montgomery Block and later was a: Bohemian group that often spent its Sunday afternoons picnicking, reading each other's latest compositions, gossiping about each other's infidelities and frolicking beneath the cherry boughs in

1386-429: A piece of moss from the fire, he inadvertently pokes the burning twigs apart, extinguishing them. With no way to start another fire, the man thinks of killing the dog and using its body heat to save himself, but his hands are so stiff that he can neither strangle the animal nor draw his knife to cut its throat. Finally, he tries to restore his circulation by running toward the camp, but stumbles and falls multiple times in

1463-612: A romantic view of marriage, while London, writing "Herbert Wace's" letters, argued for a scientific view, based on Darwinism and eugenics . In the novel, his fictional character contrasted two women he had known. London's pet name for Bess was "Mother-Girl" and Bess's for London was "Daddy-Boy". Their first child, Joan , was born on January 15, 1901, and their second, Bessie "Becky" (also reported as Bess), on October 20, 1902. Both children were born in Piedmont , California. Here London wrote one of his most celebrated works, The Call of

1540-433: A strong connection or emotions for this character. An Aldersmead Care Home article on what we can learn from our elders argues that “We can choose whose advice and opinions we value… It's also possible to hold disagreements without bearing grudges or holding onto bitterness.” The protagonist's youthful arrogance got in the way of his initial judgment when talking to the older man. This lack of respect or ability to take advice

1617-594: A system of ranching that today would be praised for its ecological wisdom ." He was proud to own the first concrete silo in California. He hoped to adapt the wisdom of Asian sustainable agriculture to the United States. He hired both Italian and Chinese stonemasons, whose distinctly different styles are obvious. To Build a Fire " To Build a Fire " is a short story by American author Jack London . There are two versions of this story. The first one

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1694-403: Is accompanied only by a large husky dog. The animal's instincts warn it about the dangers of the extreme cold, but the dog reluctantly follows the man. As they follow the course of a frozen creek, the man is careful to avoid patches of thin ice hidden by the snow. His goal is to reach a group of prospectors (referred to as "the boys") at their camp by six o'clock that evening. At half-past noon,

1771-491: Is devoted to purity. When I tell her morality is only evidence of low blood pressure, she hates me. She'd sell me and the children out for her damned purity. It's terrible. Every time I come back after being away from home for a night she won't let me be in the same room with her if she can help it. Stasz writes that these were "code words for [Bess's] fear that [Jack] was consorting with prostitutes and might bring home venereal disease ." On July 24, 1903, London told Bessie he

1848-575: Is now unofficially named Jack London's Rendezvous in his honor. On July 12, 1897, London (age 21) and his sister's husband Captain Shepard sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush . This was the setting for some of his first successful stories. London's time in the harsh Klondike , however, was detrimental to his health. Like so many other men who were malnourished in the goldfields, London developed scurvy . His gums became swollen, leading to

1925-610: Is one of the many reasons he didn't survive. The earlier version was first published in The Youth's Companion on May 29, 1902. It was published in Klondike. Although it differs in some details, the general structure and storyline are similar; the primary differences are as follows: in the first version it is not as cold, there is no dog, the fire is not doused, and the man (named Tom Vincent) suffers some permanent frostbite damage but survives, sad but wiser. Another difference between

2002-471: Is too dangerous for him to be outside, yet he progresses despite how dangerous it is. Wisdom and experience is another theme that is present throughout the story. London shows that the man lacks the knowledge needed to survive in the Yukon. Based on instincts, the dog knew that it was too cold to travel in the snow. London wrote: "The dog was sorry to leave and looked toward the fire". This line indicates that

2079-593: The San Francisco Chronicle of June 4, 1875, Chaney demanded that she have an abortion. When she refused, he disclaimed responsibility for the child. In desperation, she shot herself. She was not seriously wounded, but she was temporarily deranged. After giving birth, Flora sent the baby for wet-nursing to Virginia (Jennie) Prentiss , a neighbor and former slave. Prentiss was an important maternal figure throughout London's life, and he would later refer to her as his primary source of love and affection as

2156-476: The Imperial Russian Army , where he felt that restrictions on his reporting and his movements would be less severe. However, before this could be arranged, he was arrested for a third time in four months, this time for assaulting his Japanese assistants, whom he accused of stealing the fodder for his horse. Released through the personal intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt , London departed

2233-535: The San Francisco earthquake . In 1905, London purchased a 1,000 acres (4.0 km ) ranch in Glen Ellen , Sonoma County , California, on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain . He wrote: "Next to my wife, the ranch is the dearest thing in the world to me." He desperately wanted the ranch to become a successful business enterprise. Writing, always a commercial enterprise with London, now became even more

2310-523: The University of California , located in Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897, and he never graduated. No evidence has surfaced that he ever wrote for student publications while studying at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he

2387-537: The annual Grove Plays , but it was never selected. It was described as too difficult to set to music. London published The Acorn Planter in 1916. After divorcing Maddern, London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905. London had been introduced to Kittredge in 1900 by her aunt Netta Eames , who was an editor at Overland Monthly magazine in San Francisco. The two met prior to his first marriage but became lovers years later after Jack and Bessie London visited Wake Robin, Netta Eames' Sonoma County resort, in 1903. London

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2464-791: The Abyss , War of the Classes , and Before Adam . His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang , both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush , as well as the short stories " To Build a Fire ", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and " The Heathen ". Jack London

2541-658: The California Writers Club worked to establish a week to celebrate and recognize California Writers. The result of this effort occurred on September 4, 2003 when the California State Assembly officially declared the third week in October of each year as California Writers Week (Members Resolution No. 2170). The Resolution is endorsed by the California Library Association . Every other year, each branch selects one member to receive

2618-421: The San Francisco literary community). In 1889, London began working 12 to 18 hours a day at Hickmott's Cannery. Seeking a way out, he borrowed money from his foster mother Virginia Prentiss, bought the sloop Razzle-Dazzle from an oyster pirate named French Frank, and became an oyster pirate himself. In his memoir, John Barleycorn , he claims also to have stolen French Frank's mistress Mamie. After

2695-614: The University of California at Berkeley in 1896. Jacobs was killed aboard the Scandia in 1897, but Jack and Bessie continued their friendship, which included taking photos and developing the film together. This was the beginning of Jack's passion for photography. During the marriage, London continued his friendship with Anna Strunsky , co-authoring The Kempton-Wace Letters , an epistolary novel contrasting two philosophies of love. Anna, writing "Dane Kempton's" letters, arguing for

2772-480: The Wild . While London had pride in his children, the marriage was strained. Kingman says that by 1903 the couple were close to separation as they were "extremely incompatible". "Jack was still so kind and gentle with Bessie that when Cloudsley Johns was a house guest in February 1903 he didn't suspect a breakup of their marriage." London reportedly complained to friends Joseph Noel and George Sterling: [Bessie]

2849-405: The awful abysses of human degradation. It would take a deep plummet to reach bottom in the Erie County Pen, and I do but skim lightly and facetiously the surface of things as I there saw them. After many experiences as a hobo and a sailor, he returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School . He contributed a number of articles to the high school's magazine, The Aegis . His first published work

2926-516: The concepts of the "Mother Girl" and the "Mate Woman" in The Kempton-Wace Letters . His pet name for Bess had been "Mother-Girl"; his pet name for Charmian was "Mate-Woman". Charmian's aunt and foster mother, a disciple of Victoria Woodhull , had raised her without prudishness. Every biographer alludes to Charmian's uninhibited sexuality. Joseph Noel calls the events from 1903 to 1905 "a domestic drama that would have intrigued

3003-453: The dangers of hiking alone in extreme cold. The protagonist underestimates the harsh conditions and freezes to death after his fire is doused and he is unable to re-light it. In the 1902 version, though the structure and storyline are similar, the weather is not as cold and horrendous, no dog follows the protagonist, the fire is not doused, and the man (named Tom Vincent in this version) suffers only from severe frostbite and survives to become

3080-432: The discovery of one's self: specifically, that self-discovery is "not a significant psychic discovery" as it results in "the simple physical discovery that the self is body only". Individualism is another common theme that London portrays in the story. The man only relies on himself and attempts to sacrifice the dog to get him through the Yukon; he doesn't believe that he needs any help. This concept can also be connected to

3157-652: The dog retaliates and kills the man. London told some of his critics that man's actions are the main cause of the behavior of their animals, and he would show this famously in another story, The Call of the Wild . In early 1903, London sold The Call of the Wild to The Saturday Evening Post for $ 750 and the book rights to Macmillan . Macmillan's promotional campaign propelled it to swift success. While living at his rented villa on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, London met poet George Sterling ; in time they became best friends. In 1902, Sterling helped London find

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3234-403: The dog wanted to be closer to heat. However, the unnamed protagonist ignored all the signs before him. He knew that it was cold but he did not realize the threat this posed on his life. The man's ability to develop arrogance worked against him here, whereas the dog knew better just based on instinct. Stupidity and arrogance are personified in the story's protagonist. For example, he goes through

3311-550: The end, accepts it and doesn't complete his journey. This story may be based on a true story as related by author Jeremiah Lynch in his book Three Years in the Klondike written about 1898. The anecdote in the book is closely mirrored by Jack London's “fictional” story. The story was retold in a 2018 graphic novel by Christophe Chabouté , entitled Construire un feu . The story is mentioned in Haruki Murakami 's short story "Landscape With Flatiron", featured in after

3388-403: The extremely cold territory alone, despite going for the first time. He laughs off the crucial advice from the old man of Sulphur Creek about traveling with an acquaintance because he thinks he knows what he's doing. This arrogance results in the protagonist putting himself in a dangerous situation that was preventable. At first, he thinks it's nothing and that everything will be fine. By the end of

3465-425: The first edition of West Winds , a hardcover collection of fiction by members, was published. It was illustrated by local California artists. Since that time three other West Winds have been published. The California Writers Club organized literary events in the prewar period; the first California Writers Club Conference was held in Oakland in 1941. The California Writers Club also organized social events with

3542-401: The first fire is put out, his desperation becomes more defined as he seemingly will do anything to survive, including attempting to kill his dog for warmth and using all his matches at once in a final attempt to light a fire. His desperation for survival and his fear of death cause him to panic, leading to his final demise as he freezes to death at the end of the story. Another evident theme in

3619-794: The front in June 1904. On August 18, 1904, London went with his close friend, the poet George Sterling , to "Summer High Jinks" at the Bohemian Grove . London was elected to honorary membership in the Bohemian Club and took part in many activities. Other noted members of the Bohemian Club during this time included Ambrose Bierce , Gelett Burgess , Allan Dunn , John Muir , Frank Norris , and Herman George Scheffauer . Beginning in December 1914, London worked on The Acorn Planter, A California Forest Play , to be performed as one of

3696-453: The hills of Piedmont – Alex Kershaw, historian Formed after 1898, they met at Xavier Martinez 's home on Sundays, and at Jack London's home on Wednesdays. The group usually included George Sterling (poet) and his wife Caroline "Carrie" E. (née Rand) Sterling, Anna Strunsky , Herman Whitaker , Ambrose Bierce , Richard Partington and his wife Blanche, Joseph Noel (dramatist, novelist and journalist), Joaquin Miller , Arnold Genthe and

3773-547: The hosts, Jack London and his wife, Bessie Maddern London, and Xavier Martinez and his wife, Elsie Whitaker Martinez . London married Elizabeth Mae (or May) "Bessie" Maddern on April 7, 1900, the same day The Son of the Wolf was published. Bess had been part of his circle of friends for a number of years. She was related to stage actresses Minnie Maddern Fiske and Emily Stevens . Stasz says, "Both acknowledged publicly that they were not marrying out of love, but from friendship and

3850-409: The loss of his four front teeth. A constant gnawing pain affected his hip and leg muscles, and his face was stricken with marks that always reminded him of the struggles he faced in the Klondike. Father William Judge , "The Saint of Dawson ", had a facility in Dawson that provided shelter, food and any available medicine to London and others. His struggles there inspired London's short story, " To Build

3927-420: The man across a frozen river, the dog is more cautious than the man. The protagonist's desperation is evident throughout the majority of the story. It is noticeable soon after the man falls into a frozen-over river. To save himself he scrambles to build a fire, but is too busy worrying about his survival to notice the mistake of building a fire underneath a tree that has collected an enormous amount of snow. After

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4004-402: The man stops and builds a fire so he can warm up and eat his lunch. Shortly after resuming his hike, he accidentally breaks through the ice and soaks his feet and lower legs, forcing him to stop and build another fire so he can dry himself. Having chosen a spot under a tree for this fire, he pulls twigs from the brush pile around it to feed the flames; the vibrations of this action eventually cause

4081-615: The pen of an Ibsen .... London's had comedy relief in it and a sort of easy-going romance." In broad outline, London was restless in his first marriage, sought extramarital sexual affairs, and found, in Charmian Kittredge, not only a sexually active and adventurous partner, but his future life-companion. They attempted to have children; one child died at birth, and another pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. In 1906, London published in Collier's magazine his eye-witness report of

4158-400: The protagonist disregards the possibility that there may be situations he cannot overcome. The old man warns the protagonist of this and also seems to have a better understanding of the natural world, respecting the fact that there are some situations the man will be unable to control. Not only does the old man see the protagonist's stupidity, but the dog notices the man's lack of knowledge about

4235-469: The protagonist's battle of life and death while highlighting the importance of the fire. Lee Mitchell, in a familiar critique of London's work, comments on London's usage of naturalism in his plots. In Mitchell's opinion, the efforts of emphasizing the environment too much suggest that, “[i]n turn, everything that somehow contributes to those attempts is doubled and re-doubled, iterated and re-iterated, leaving nothing to occur only once” (Mitchell 78) throughout

4312-524: The snow. The man feels the cold gradually freezing him to his core, and he ultimately falls asleep and dies of hypothermia . He imagines himself standing with "the boys" as they find his body. The dog leaves the body after dark to find food and shelter at the camp. Man versus nature is a major theme in the story. The protagonist decides to face the brutally cold temperatures of the Yukon Trail despite being warned by an older man. The short story depicts

4389-434: The story is perseverance . Although the man makes several mistakes and gets frostbite in his fingers and toes, he continues to fight for survival. He ignores all the signs that he would not make it to the village he was headed to. For instance, London described “He did not bare his fingers more than a minute and was surprised to find that they were numb". In less than 60 seconds, his fingers were numb, indicating to him that it

4466-461: The story, he dies as a result of his arrogance. Through this story, London shows how the man's demise is due to his humanity and lack of knowledge when entering this journey. Also, he shows that the dog survives because of following its instincts which is something that the man does not pay attention to. The superior mindset and lack of knowledge of the area around where he traveled led to his downfall as well. Another example of arrogance occurs when

4543-422: The story. One theme illustrated in the story is the man's sense of judgment contrasted with the dog's animal instincts . Throughout the story, London hints that the dog has more knowledge of survival than the man; the judgment-versus-instinct theme is evident when the man builds the first fire. While the dog wants to stay by the fire to keep warm, the man is determined to keep moving. As the dog reluctantly follows

4620-486: The suggestion of his brother bought the New Park Estate at Santa Clara as well as a local bank. The Bonds, especially Hiram, were active Republicans . Marshall Bond's diary mentions friendly sparring with London on political issues as a camp pastime. London left Oakland with a social conscience and socialist leanings; he returned to become an activist for socialism . He concluded that his only hope of escaping

4697-473: The terrain's obstacles and challenges after he fails to keep a fire going. Succumbing to death is another theme in the story, more specifically, the peace that may be found in death. London foreshadows the death of the man early in the story, so it is not a surprise that the man dies, and closer to the end he recalls the cold and the old-timer as he accepts his fate. However, London depicts death quite differently than many other authors do. The man drifts off into

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4774-437: The theme mentioned above of the man's judgment, and the man's arrogance. Arrogance is another common theme that London uses on the protagonist. The man initially comes off as arrogant when not taking advice from the elder on Sulphur Creek. As readers, we can assume we see and picture the character this way since London purposely doesn't give us a name or much information at all about him. This lack of information doesn't allow us

4851-408: The two versions comes from Clell Petersen's analysis of "To Build a Fire". He argues that the 1902 narrator has a love of life that the 1908 narrator lacks, this causes Tom Vincent (the 1902 narrator) to persevere through his journey and not "sit down and die". While the later narrator tries to fight his imminent death he lacks the " 'love of life' that would force him to struggle to the end", so he, in

4928-402: The work "trap" was to get an education and "sell his brains". He saw his writing as a business, his ticket out of poverty and, he hoped, as a means of beating the wealthy at their own game. On returning to California in 1898, London began working to get published, a struggle described in his novel Martin Eden (serialized in 1908, published in 1909). His first published story since high school

5005-586: The writing life. Writers Memorial Grove at Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland celebrates California's great writers with the planting of trees. The first tree was planted for Joaquin Miller. Bret Harte , Charles Warren Stoddard , Edward Rowland Sill , Ina Coolbrith, Jack London, Mark Twain , Charles Fletcher Lummis , and Edwin Markham are so honored as well as Dashiell Hammett , Gertrude Stein , and historians, Will Durant and Ariel Durant . In 2003,

5082-570: The young Jack. In 1897, when he was 21 and a student at the University of California, Berkeley , London searched for and read the newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and the name of his biological father. He wrote to William Chaney, then living in Chicago. Chaney responded that he could not be London's father because he was impotent; he casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men and averred that she had slandered him when she said he insisted on an abortion. London

5159-588: Was "To the Man On Trail", which has frequently been collected in anthologies. When The Overland Monthly offered him only five dollars for it—and was slow paying—London came close to abandoning his writing career. In his words, "literally and literarily I was saved" when The Black Cat accepted his story "A Thousand Deaths" and paid him $ 40—the "first money I ever received for a story". London began his writing career just as new printing technologies enabled lower-cost production of magazines. This resulted in

5236-451: Was "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan", an account of his sailing experiences. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon , a port-side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend

5313-658: Was again arrested by Japanese authorities for straying too close to the border with Manchuria without official permission, and was sent back to Seoul . Released again, London was permitted to travel with the Imperial Japanese Army to the border, and to observe the Battle of the Yalu . London asked William Randolph Hearst , the owner of the San Francisco Examiner , to be allowed to transfer to

5390-558: Was born January 12, 1876. His mother, Flora Wellman, was the fifth and youngest child of Pennsylvania Canal builder Marshall Wellman and his first wife, Eleanor Garrett Jones. Marshall Wellman was descended from Thomas Wellman , an early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony . Flora left Ohio and moved to the Pacific coast when her father remarried after her mother died. In San Francisco, Flora worked as

5467-541: Was devastated by his father's letter; in the months following, he quit school at Berkeley and went to the Klondike during the gold rush boom. London was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco. The house burned down in the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake ; the California Historical Society placed a plaque at the site in 1953. Although the family was working class, it

5544-431: Was injured when he fell from a buggy, and Netta arranged for Charmian to care for him. The two developed a friendship, as Charmian, Netta, her husband Roscoe, and London were politically aligned with socialist causes. At some point the relationship became romantic, and Jack divorced his wife to marry Charmian, who was five years his senior. Biographer Russ Kingman called Charmian "Jack's soul-mate, always at his side, and

5621-409: Was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writing. In his autobiographical novel, John Barleycorn , London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. Heinold's was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea. London based his protagonist Wolf Larsen, in the novel The Sea-Wolf , on McLean. Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon

5698-723: Was leaving and moved out. During 1904, London and Bess negotiated the terms of a divorce, and the decree was granted on November 11, 1904. London accepted an assignment of the San Francisco Examiner to cover the Russo-Japanese War in early 1904, arriving in Yokohama on January 25, 1904. He was arrested by Japanese authorities in Shimonoseki , but released through the intervention of American ambassador Lloyd Griscom . After travelling to Korea , he

5775-511: Was not as impoverished as London's later accounts claimed. London was largely self-educated. In 1885, London found and read Ouida 's long Victorian novel Signa . He credited this as the seed of his literary success. In 1886, he went to the Oakland Public Library and found a sympathetic librarian, Ina Coolbrith , who encouraged his learning. (She later became California's first poet laureate and an important figure in

5852-508: Was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal welfare , workers' rights and socialism . London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel , his non-fiction exposé The People of

5929-492: Was published in 1902, and the other was published in 1908. The story written in 1908 has become an often anthologized classic, while the 1902 story is less well known. The 1908 version is about an unnamed male protagonist who ventures out in the subzero boreal forest of the Yukon Territory . He is followed by a native dog and is en route to visit his friends—ignoring warnings from an older man from Sulphur Creek about

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