Martin Eden

by Jack London

Overview

Martin Eden (1909) by Jack London is a semi-autobiographical novel, the quintessential and shocking story of a struggling writer. And as such, it is a story of a remarkable human being driven to succeed against all tragic odds.

Martin Eden is a young man who rises above his working class Oakland beginnings. At first he is motivated to better himself and acquire an education to be worthy of the love of a beautiful upper class woman. But ultimately it is his intellectual curiosity, the creative drive to express beauty and understand the inner workings of others and the world around him that establish themselves foremost in his consciousness.

Drowning in poverty and editorial rejection slips, this is the portrait of the writer as a young fierce artist, lover, philosopher, and above all, a magnanimous human being. Success comes in the end, but it is bittersweet, and too late on the level of the soul. And yet, the creative spirit of Martin Eden soars.

An eye-opening, terrifying, yet inspirational must-read for all aspiring writers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934169582
Publisher:	Norilana Books
Publication date:	02/18/2007
Pages:	396
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jack London (1876–1916) was born John Chaney in Pennsylvania, USA. In 1896 he was caught up in the gold rush to the Klondike river in north-west Canada, which became the inspiration for The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906). Jack London became one of the most widely read writers in the world.

Reading Group Guide

Martin Eden, Jack London’s semiautobiographical novel about a struggling young writer, is considered by many to be the author’s most mature work. Personifying London’s own dreams of education and literary fame as a young man in San Francisco, Martin Eden’s impassioned but ultimately ineffective battle to overcome his bleak circumstances makes him one of the most memorable and poignant characters Jack London ever created. As Paul Berman points out in his Introduction, “In Martin, [London] created one of the great twisted heroes of American literature . . . a hero doomed from the outset because his own passions are bigger and more complicated than any man could bear.”

Editorial Reviews

One of Jack London’s greatest works.” —Upton Sinclair

From the Publisher