Jack London was born in San Francisco, California, on February 12, 1876. At the age of nine, he began to develop a taste for reading and frequented his local library. He left school at 14 to work. He was a paperboy, clerk, laborer in a textile mill, and an electric power plant worker.
With an adventurous spirit, he undertook various journeys that became the setting for his early stories. At 17, he traveled to Japan and the Bonin Islands. He crossed the United States and reached Niagara Falls. At 21, he went to search for gold in the Klondike mines. Deciding to devote himself to literature, he wrote his first story, ‘The Son of the Wolf’ (1900), which depicts the struggle of a man in a hostile environment. He then went on to publish novels and short stories that made him famous by portraying the wild and vigorous aspects of life. Among his notable works are: ‘A Daughter of the Snows’ (1902), ‘The Call of the Wild’ (1903), ‘The Sea-Wolf’ (1904), ‘White Fang’ (1906), ‘The Scarlet Plague’ (1912), and ‘The Star Rover’ (1915).
Jack London achieved fame and was considered one of the most important writers of his time. Later, he fell into decline as he succumbed to alcoholism. He died in Glen Ellen, California, United States, on November 22, 1916. His ashes were buried in the Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, California.