THE SEARCH IS ONGOING

"An Old Soldier's Story" is among the earliest works of Jack London. He wrote it in 1894, after finishing "Typhoon Off the Coast of Japan." Unlike "Typhoon," which received an award from the SanFrancisco Call, "An Old Soldier's Story" had a less successful fate. London was able to publish "An Old Soldier's Story" only several years later, when fortune was finally on his side and his works were published one after another, including those that had previously been rejected by editors and publishers.

However, once published, this story was never published again. Actually, it was lost. In the bibliography she assembled, Charmian London accidentally indicated the wrong magazine and date of the publication. Just recently, with the help of American literary scholars, I was able to find the magazine with the story. The action took place in the time of the American Civil War against slavery, with Jack London's stepfather fighting on the side of the North.

The newly found London stories were not as strong compared to London's mature works. They were not always as polished. Sometimes, they lacked the confidence of the writer, his power over the topic. However, in every work, even the weakest work of London, there was still freshness and novelty. Most of the stories are autobiographical. In one old American magazine, I found an autobiographical article, "Getting Into Print," first published around the time as critical essay on the novel Octopus by Frank Norris appeared.

Russian readers were very familiar with London's essay on Gorky's Foma Gordeev (1901). In an expressive, creative method, he shared his views on the role of literature. In the same year, in his essay on Norris's work, London noted that Norris managed to get to the very heart of the nation as well as convey a materialistic view of history. These notes are very important for understanding the writer's creative literary method. I have translated another of London's critical introductions. This one, published in 1906, was entitled The Jungle. The article was remarkable not so much because of the strength of London's patriotism and courage expressed in his defense of Upton Sinclair's novel, but because it was an important manifestation of the criteria that Jack London used in his criticism. London noted how Sinclair's books are devoted to American workers, thus establishing the special importance of work itself as a defense of the working class.

The Jungle has an interesting history. Honest observations made in the book stirred a powerful storm in the press and the public. The U.S. Senate had to organize a special committee to investigate those terrible exploitations described in the book. These investigations did not go beyond the anti-sanitary conditions of packing factories and did not bring any changes into workers' lives; however, Sinclair himself concluded bitterly that, while aiming at the heart of his nation, he hit its stomach.

I also translated the article "These Bones Shall Rise Again." Jack London wrote it in October 1901, soon after the United States got the news of the death and burial of English writer and author of The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling. The news appeared to be a false alarm, however, and London's obituary was not published at that time. Many years later, he included it in one of his collections.

Jack London felt great sympathy towards Kipling. He admired Kipling's talent as a poet and storyteller and tried to learn his skills. In his article, London acknowledged the literary gift of his British colleague. In his attempt to commemorate Kipling's memory, London developed the image of some ideal literary figure, revealing an energetic, brave artist of the word. In London's opinion, Kipling was the embodiment of such an ideal. To London, Kipling's greatest achievement was responsiveness to his time and ability to convey the most characteristic features of his epoch as well as specifics of a particular nation. To emphasize this point, London, in one part of his article, summarized the class orientation of the writer. However, in the concluding paragraph, he clearly defined Kipling's ideological essence: Kipling praised the aggressive deeds of nineteenth-century imperialists.

The true interest in the article was that it presented London's views on literature. He pointed out its highly educational nature, while stating the writer's responsibility to represent the most characteristic features of his time. Among all the literary heritage left by London, it is hard to find another work, except perhaps the essay on Foma Gordeev that would state London's views on art and literature so clearly and so powerfully.

Now, I want to share with you another finding of my research as quoted in Franklin Walker's Jack London and the Klondike: "June, 29 1894, one John Lundon [sic], age 18: Single: Father & Mother Living, Occupation — Sailor; Religion — Atheist;— was received at the Eire County Penitentiary, for a term of 30 Days, charge of Tramp, sentenced by Police Justice Charles Piper — Niagara Falls, New York; and was released on July, 29 1894." This is a note from the prison journal about Jack London.