Jack London played an important role in writing fiction because he was one of the first American writers to make an income solely from his writing and it was an income that most would consider very lucrative. Jack London's Call of the Wild and other books allowed London to realize success that many writers could only dream about in his era or in today's world.
Jack London was born in 1876. Left behind by his father, Jack was raised by his mother in California. Virginia Prentiss, an ex-slave would help raise Jack because his mother was ill most of the time. There has been some discrepancies in the way that his economic status was perceived. Jack believed and stated often that he was impoverished but historians believe that he was in fact, from a working class family with above average means.
William Chaney, the astrologer, was believed to be London's father but there wasn't a legal marriage confirmed to prove that London had any ties to Chaney and paternity is only speculated. Jack married but his first marriage lasted only four years. The couple publicly acknowledged that the marriage wasn't one founded on the concept of love.
Jack divorced his first wife and married a woman considered by many as his soul mate. The couple bought a ranch that London loved. He once acknowledged that writing had become, for him, a "way to add three or four hundred acres" to his estate.
Jack London's success wasn't limited only to the phenomenal success of The Call of the Wild. He had other works that earned him more than enough to add acres to his gorgeous ranch but yet he was often accused of plagiarizing other writers.
London's most reputable novels is quite an impressive list including The Call of the Wild, The Iron Heel, Martin Eden, The Sea-Wolf and others. Jack London died in 1916 and his cause of death was often attributed to suicide. However, there wasn't enough evidence to ever substantiate that belief. His ranch became a National Historic Landmark.
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