| − | Born John Griffith Chaney, he had a traumatic early life, and two troubled [[marriage]]s. His [[death]], possibly due to [[suicide]], is shrouded in mystery. After engaging in "oyster pirating," becoming a tramp, and getting a grueling, low-paying job, he went to the [[University of California at Berkeley]] in 1896, only to stay a year and fail to graduate. He joined the Klondike [[Gold Rush]] in 1897, during which he developed Scurvy. However, some of his best known and most successful stories, such as the ''[[Call of the Wild]]'' and ''White Fang'', were based on his Gold Rush experiences. | + | Born John Griffith Chaney, he had a traumatic early life, two troubled [[marriage]]s, and a death shrouded in mystery. After engaging in "oyster pirating," becoming a tramp, and getting a grueling, low-paying job, he went to the [[University of California at Berkeley]] in 1896, only to stay a year and fail to graduate. He joined the Klondike [[Gold Rush]] in 1897, during which he developed Scurvy. However, some of his best known and most successful stories, such as the ''[[Call of the Wild]]'' and ''White Fang'', were based on his Gold Rush experiences. |
| | London became a [[socialist]], and his ''political'' leanings are revealed in some of his writing, especially the less-known ''[[The Iron Heel]]'', an early pro-socialist [[dystopian]] [[novel]]. In 1905, he was among the founding members of the [[Intercollegiate Socialist Society]]. | | London became a [[socialist]], and his ''political'' leanings are revealed in some of his writing, especially the less-known ''[[The Iron Heel]]'', an early pro-socialist [[dystopian]] [[novel]]. In 1905, he was among the founding members of the [[Intercollegiate Socialist Society]]. |