John Griffith Chaney, later Jack London, was born into a turbulent bohemian world in San Francisco, the child of Flora Wellman and, she believed, her common-law husband, William Henry Chaney, an itinerant astrologer who deserted her. Flora married John London on 7 September in 1876. Jack heard from a family member at age twenty-one that John was not his father. Perhaps in part because of the psychological dualities of his childhood, London frequently attempted to conjoin opposites in his work, such as socialism and individualism, wanderlust and love of home, travel overseas and California ranching, Friedrich Nietzsche versus Karl Marx or Charles Darwin, racism versus brotherhood. He wrote fifty books on extremely diverse subjects, including 198 short stories. Jack London's short story, "Love of Life" is about two gold prospectors, Bill and an unnamed man, who are struggling to survive on the frozen tundra of Canada. They cross the tundra looking for food, all the while suffering from starvation and exposure to the elements. When the unnamed man sprains his ankle, Bill abandons him and proceeds through the wilderness, his will to survive put to the test. Unfortunately for our man, starvation and exposure to the elements are the good news for him because he soon sprains an ankle and his dear friend Bill abandons him to his fate. Without bullets for his rifle, he marches towards an uncertain fate. Enjoy free online English audiobook “The Love of Life”, a short story by Jack London.
