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Jack London(1)

(1876-1916)
    Jack London the famous American writer, who reflected the hopes, conflicts, frustrations, was born in San Francisco on January 12 1876. His family moved to Oakland where he wrote in his autobiographical “John Barleycorn”. He had quitted school at 14. He started working as his family was very poor. He was a sailor. The experience of a sealing cruise formed the basis of his future sea stories. He was a member of Industrial army later he was arrested for vagrancy About the age of 19 he attended Oakland High school for a short time and then had a year at the University of California. He got a job because he has no money to pay his tuition. In winter 1897 London joined the gold rush to the Klondike. He didn’t find gold but wonderful stories written after returning were based on the life in the North. He had always been an excellent storyteller. He won the first prize, 25$. His first book “The Son of the Wolf” gained a wide audience. During his short life London wrote fifty books his most popular books are: “The God of His Fathers”, “The Call of the Wild”, “White Fang”, “Martin Eden”, “The War of Classes” and others. He died on November 1916. His books are read everywhere I think Jack London on of the favourite writer among teenagers.

Jack London(2)

   Jack London was born in 1876 in San Francisco. His real name was John Griffit. His father was a farmer. The family was extremely poor and the boy had to earn his living after school. He sold newspapers, worked at a factory. T-ater he became a sailor; during some time he wandered vvith the unemployed.
   For a year he attended the Oakland High school and spent a semester at the University of California, but as he had no money he had to stop his studies and went to work again.
   This time it was a laundry. In 1897 he went to the Klondike as a gold miner. His f^pst short story was published in 1898.
   Some of the difficulties he met during the first years of his literary work are described in his novel "Martin Eden".
   During the sixteen years of his literary career Jack London published about fifty books: short stories, novels and essays. In his best stories London described the severe life and struggle of people against nature.
   He died at the age of forty in 1916.
   
   Questions:
   1. When was Jack London born?
   2. What was his real name?
   3. How long did he attend the Oakland High school?
   4. Why did he have to stop his studies?
   5. What did he do in the Klondike?
   6. What did he describe in his books?
   
   Vocabulary:
   sailor — моряк, матрос
   unemployed — безработный
   to wander — скитаться
   laundry — прачечная