"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them, I shall use my time." - Jack London. Jack London's contribution to early 20th century American literature is somewhat underestimated; critics claim that his vast production holds a varied literary quality. However, Jack London was an immensely popular author in his time, and his major works are enjoyed by a large audience even today. London was a man of adventure, a man of action and only he could have truly conceived such a dynamic and challenging credo as this. And only he, with his great physical strength, his intense intellect, and his turbulent spirit, could have successfully lived up to it. The House of Mapuhi is a long but action-packed tale describing the circuitous fate of a fabulous pearl found off a remote but populous atoll in the Paumotu Islands in the South Seas, first battled over by traders reluctant to pay the price demanded by its discoverer, Mapuhi - a complete house of his dreams - and then lost along with the majority of the atoll’s inhabitants when a phenomenally violent hurricane practically destroys the atoll. Enjoy free online English audiobook “The House of Mapuhi”, breathtaking shorts story by Jack London.
