During his lifetime, Jack London achieved wealth, success and popularity. Many writers before him tried to reach the same heights, and many of them became famous, but he was the first of the whole writer’s brotherhood of his time who really got rich thanks to his talent. A talent was not to occupy the mind! No wonder the books of D. London are read with might and main today.
The father of the future writer refused to recognize his son, so that he was officially considered the child of an unknown parent. Jack London’s real name was John Griffith Cheney. He received the surname “London” later, when his mother married a second time, and gave him the name of his stepfather. D. London’s mother nearly killed herself when she was pregnant, as her lover refused to recognize her son and tried to force her to have an abortion. At the same time, she was a rather curious person. So, she believed in spirits and claimed that through the astral plane she was connected with a certain leader of the Indian tribe. As a teenager, Jack London began to work actively. During his young years, he managed to change many diverse professions.
Among other things, he managed to stay and a sailor. And as a 14-year-old boy, Jack London saved up money, bought a boat and caught shrimps, which he then sold. The first wife of D. London was the bride of his tragically dead comrade. At the age of 18, he was arrested for participating in a riot, and spent a whole month in jail. Jack London was the first writer ever to earn a million dollars with his talent. According to contemporaries, Jack London often spent 14-15 hours daily writing. In all, Jack London has written two dozen novels, more than two hundred short stories and three plays in his life. His literary career lasted seventeen years.
A little-known fact: Jack London wrote stories not only for an adult audience, but also for children. His first publication, Typhoon Off the Coast of Japan, took place when he was only sixteen years old. For this short essay, he received his first writer’s fee. Over the years, Jack London worked as a war correspondent, and several times he managed to visit places of military operations. Despite the extensive vocabulary of D. London, all of his books are written in a very simple style, easy to understand. Once in pursuit of gold, Jack London went to Alaska to become a prospector. However, the “gold rush” did not bring him wealth.
Having become rich, the writer wanted to realize the old dream of his own ranch. True, having bought it, he only made himself problems – he did not know how to run a business, and the ranch in his hands was unprofitable. Jack London himself created the drawings on which the ship was built, on which he went on a voyage around the world. But for health reasons, he had to return home, never completing his grandiose journey. The cause of death of D. London was an overdose of painkillers. It is still unknown whether it was accidental or intentional. Such famous Russian writers as Greene and Yesenin spoke very highly of Jack London’s work. And Leo Tolstoy even had his books in his personal library. Instead of a tombstone, a regular boulder stands on the grave of a famous writer.
