Jack London
Schriftsteller und Journalist, 1876-1916
London erlangte vor allem Bekanntheit durch seine Abenteuerromane „Ruf der Wildnis“ und „Wolfsblut“ sowie durch den mehrfach verfilmten Abenteuerroman „Der Seewolf“. Seine Werke geben gleichzeitig eine Übersicht über die geographischen Räume, die er kannte: den arktischen Norden Nordamerikas (Klondike) zur Zeit des Goldrausches, Kalifornien und den Pazifik bzw. die Seefahrt auf diesem Ozean. Er bekannte sich, geprägt durch harte Erfahrungen in der Kindheit, häufig zu den unteren Schichten der Gesellschaft und offen zum Sozialismus einer sehr eigener Prägung. Er war Mitglied der Socialist Party der Vereinigten Staaten. Zu seinen Lebzeiten war London der erfolgreichste Autor der Welt.
Quelle:
American writer (1876-1916). Autograph letter signed and a letter in the hand of London’s wife signed by Jack London. Oakland, Sonoma. Oblong-8vo. 6 pp. With his printed Oakland address, date in ink stamp and Hotel stationery „Hotel Dacotah“.
7.000 €
(93332)
Autograph letter signed to Mr. Walker. In the letter, Jack London expresses his desire to have an article titled "Revolution" published in Cosmopolitan magazine, which was then being overseen by John Brisben Walker. However, he emphasizes that this can only be realized under mutually acceptable financial terms. London expresses his regrets about the geographical distance between them and the challenges of maintaining effective communication. He takes a moment to remind Mr. Walker that in the past, when he was an entirely unknown writer, he received compensation at a rate of 4 cents per word for his work.
He now finds it difficult to reconcile that, despite having established a certain level of recognition, he is being offered a meager 5 cents per word for his current article, even though it is significantly more substantial than his initial work. However, Jack London conveys his preference for having his article published in Cosmopolitan, even under these financial terms, rather than in any other American magazine: „[…] Just now, when all the United States is washing its dirty linen in the magazines, I think no more apposite thing could be done than to publish a statement of the revolutionist’s position and their strength […]“ A few weeks following the 1905 Revolution in Russia, Jack London, in his article, boldly asserts that the socialist revolution is in full progress, unstoppable by either President Roosevelt or the steadfast conservatives. He underscores the existence of a global army of seven million revolutionaries, comprised of robust, hardworking laborers who cherish peace but stand prepared for war. They are poised to bring about the downfall of capitalism, combat social suffering, and address its dire consequences. Together with a signed letter, addressed to socialist comrade Moore. Grand Forks, North Dakota, February 3, 1906. Penned by his second wife, Charmian Kittredge, whom Jack London had wed in November 1905, and who served as the ideal partner and meticulous transcriber of his writings, this letter is intended to provide reassurance to her cherished friend, Moore, regarding the integrity of Cosmopolitan magazine. „I was rushed to death when I wrote my replies to the questions published in Cosmopolitan. […] M. Walker does not own the Cosmopolitan any more. It is owned by Mr Hearst. Read article by me entitled ‘My Outlook on Life’, soon to be published in Cosmopolitan and you will see that the magazine is all right. Yours for the revolution […]“ Founded in 1886 as a family magazine, Cosmopolitan was under the direction of John Brisben Walker, an heir to the automobile industry, starting in 1889. It was later acquired by William Randall Hearst, who went on to serve as an inspiration for Orson Welles in his film "Citizen Kane." Under the guidance of these two influential figures in the world of journalism, the magazine initially followed a more literary and political trajectory. However, it underwent a transformation in the 1950s, becoming a more distinctly "feminine" publication. During Jack London's time, Cosmopolitan featured contributions from other renowned writers, including Ambrose Bierce, Rudyard Kipling, Edith Wharton, and George Bernard Shaw. In March 1906, Cosmopolitan published an autobiographical article by Jack London titled "What Life Means to Me." This article, along with the one mentioned in the initial letter, was subsequently included in the 1910 volume titled "Revolution." In these writings, London delves into his upbringing in a socialist environment and his unwavering advocacy for the working class in the face of capitalist avarice. The phrase "Yours for the Revolution," employed in this letter, was a recurring signature used by Jack London, a dedicated socialist, in his correspondence..
American writer (1876-1916). Original photograph unsigned. no place or date. 176 : 235 mm.
1.500 €
(93335)
Original photograph of Jack London in a profil pose wearing tie. Photograph: Arnold Genthe, New York. - There is a note in pencil to the back side: „Bill of March 17, 1937 gives permission to reproduce and says ,Please be sure that credit line is used’“. - Remnants from previous mounting to verso.
verkauft
E. Brief mit U.
Autograph ist nicht mehr verfügbar
Jack London (1876–1916), Schriftsteller. E. Brief mit U. Piedmont, Kalifornien, 16. März 1903. 1 S. Gr.-4°. Mit einigen Beilagen (s. u.). – An den Verleger Arthur Bartlett Maurice (1873–1946), den Herausgeber der literarischen Zeitschrift „The Bookman“, mit der Frage nach seinem Manuskript „Stranger than Fiction“ und zur Übersendung einer Horrorgeschichte: „I hope you find ‚Stranger than Fiction’ available. I am glad to hear that the ‚Bookman’ is likely to publish of the ‚unpublishable’ horror tales. You ask me if I have one up my sleeve. I haven’t a ‚real’ horror tale, but I shall take great pleasure some time in writing you one. However, I am sending you one wrapped up in final and incomprehensible gore. You will recognize the invisible-man theme – nay, it is almost an extravaganza [...]“. – Die Erzählung „Stranger than Fiction“ wurde im Juni 1903 mit einer von den Herausgebern vorgenommenen Kürzung von rund 100 Wörtern veröffentlicht und von Kritikern als schlecht und verwirrend geschrieben beurteilt; Jack London erhielt für ihren Abdruck $ 60,-. Im selben Jahr wie „Stranger than Fiction“ erschien auch Londons Erfolgsroman „Ruf der Wildnis“ („The Call of the Wild“). – Beiliegend die Kopien von drei Briefen des Verlegers an Jack London. – Leicht knittrig und mit gestemp. Briefkopf; mit einigen stecknadelgroßen Durchstichen am linken Rand.
Autograph letter signed.
Autograph ist nicht mehr verfügbar
To Cha[rle]s L. Pryal in Oakland, California, reflecting on his scrapes with the law with more than a tinge of bitterness: "Please pardon my long delay in answering. I have been away and have only just now returned. I guess you & I are heartily in sympathy in this matter of police judges. The trouble is that they are very small and insignificant cogs in a large and powerful machine. As for me, I dare not fight the whole machine. If I had a million dollars I would fight the whole machine. As it is, I can confine myself only to the one insignificant cog that treated me vilely. If I could enlist the capital, I'd shake the rotten graft organization of Alameda County to its foundations. Just the same, I'd like to see the letter you mention. Of course, it will be strictly confidential. Thanking you for your kind letter [...]". The event that Jack London discusses in this letter occurred in 1894, when he was eighteen years of age. His youth had been spent in lawlessness and adventure. After he quit school at age 14 to escape poverty, he "looted orchards and oyster beds, and he had run away from furious owners and patrolmen [...] He himself met with random violence in New York City, when a policeman bloodied his head just because he looked shabby and was holding a book. He learned to avoid the law, because it carried a club. Finally, he suffered from the injustice of the law. He was arrested for vagrancy in Buffalo after visiting Niagara Falls. He knew the reason for it. When John London had been a special constable in Oakland, he had lived on the fees paid him for arresting tramps the rotten graft organization. Now Jack was given thirty days in jail, and was cut off by the judge in mid-sentence as he tried to speak up for his rights as an American citizen the one insignificant cog that treated me vilely. Once in jail, he found himself in a nightmare more terrible than any of his dreams" (Jack Andrew Sinclair: A Biography of Jack London). - Some soiling, rust stains from paper clips.
Eigenh. Brief mit U.
Autograph ist nicht mehr verfügbar
An den Herausgeber des "Metropolitan Magazine", den er um ein Belegexemplar der Ausgabe ersucht, in der seine Erzählung "A Hyperborean Brew" erschienen war: "In the 'Metropolitan' of July, 1901, was published a story of mine, entitled 'A Hyperborean Brew', I have not yet collected this story in book form, & I find, on looking over my file, that I have no copy of it - the old story, the friend who will borrow. So, will you kindly mail me a copy of that number [...]". - Auf Briefpapier mit gestemp. Briefkopf; verso ein Montagestreifen.