The Call of the Wild: Selected Short Stories by Jack London

Chapter 1 Preface
Jack London (1876-1916), one of the most distinctive American writers.From publishing his first work at the age of 24 to his death at the age of 40, he left behind 19 novels, more than 150 short stories, 3 plays and a large number of essays and papers.Representative works include "Love of Life", "Call of the Wild", "Odyssey of the North", "Wolf Son", "White Fang", "Iron Hoof", "Martin Eden", "Silent Snow Field", etc., only from the title You can roughly see its style.

The works of Jack London show people a vast, rough, wild and vibrant world: the boundless wasteland, the Arctic where the water is dripping into ice, and the Pacific Ocean with huge waves... Tiny human beings wander among them, sailors, gold diggers , pioneers, criminals and other people of all colors exploded with amazing power in order to survive.Human nature, both good and bad, is laid bare in glaring ways.

Energetic, masculine and even rough styles are the main characteristics of Jack London's works.Some people say that the American novels before him were written for girls, and it was not until Jack London appeared that there were novels suitable for men to read.Although this statement is extreme, it also accurately reflects Jack London's personality.

"Writing like a person" is fully reflected in Jack London.He came from a humble background, worked as a child laborer when he was young, and also wandered on the streets. At the age of 13, he sailed alone across San Francisco Bay, showing his talent to be an excellent sailor. Four years later, he followed a hunting ship to the Bering Strait to hunt seals. He was deeply impressed by the harsh sea environment and hard labor-like crew work.Later, he worked as a worker, traveled around the country as a homeless person, and was arrested and imprisoned many times. At the age of 4, this young man who was at the bottom of his life decided to go to Alaska to seek gold with his companions. As a result, he contracted septicemia and had to return to California.

In 1900, Jack London published his first work, fame and fortune.But he did not choose a quiet and comfortable life. He first went to Asia as a war correspondent, and then sailed around the world alone, but unfortunately he failed. In 1916, he died of a morphine overdose. Some say he miscalculated the dose, others say he committed suicide because he was suffering from loneliness, disease, huge debts, betrayal by friends and alcoholism.His death remains a mystery to this day.

Jack London's legendary life experience and rich life experience are beyond the reach of other writers.This makes his works have a strong realistic style, and even makes people suspect that the stories he wrote are not fabricated, but real events.His works burst out with a force of life, which is shocking."Love of Life", "Call of the Wild" and "Odyssey of the North" selected in this book all reflect this point. "Love of Life" describes a story of a man competing with wolves for the chance of survival, and praises the tenacity and tenacity of life "The Call of the Wild" describes the experience of a dog. The docile domestic dog "Booker" was trafficked to the cold Alaska and became a sled dog. The cruel living environment called out its wildness, and it finally became "Wolf King" "runs and howls..." together with the wolves; "Northern Odyssey" is quite legendary, with love, robbers and revenge in it, with strong and peculiar colors.

"Love of Life" and "The Call of the Wild" are the most well-known works of Jack London, and they have attracted readers from different regions and experiences for many years.When Lenin was sick in bed in his later years, he specially asked people to read novels aloud, among which was Jack London's Love of Life.

Good works can provide people with spiritual strength, and I hope everyone can get what they want from this book.

(End of this chapter)