This week we got the chance to profile the inimitable Jack London, a pioneer in all senses of the word. He not only was a standout writer, but he also was one of the first writers to really build a sense of celebrity around his writing while it was happening. He would change the way writer’s tried to shape their careers forever, and here he shed a little light onto serialized writing, the idea of celebrity, why he wrote an entire novel from the point of view of an animal and more.
Young Adult: How did you get your start writing?
Jack London: I suppose how many do, just something inside me made me want to tell stories. I was lucky enough to be able to work out some of my characters in serialized publications which both made the story better (shaped and written) and allowed me to make a wage while learning the difficulties of meeting deadlines.
YA: You weren’t the first serialized writer, but arguably one of the most famous. Why do you think people responded to your presentation of story in that arena?
JL: It’s all about where you end the chapters. I try to have each chapter resolve something from the previous while introducing a new problem for the hero. Just after the introduction of the new problem is a good place to leave off.
YA: Tell us a little bit about White Fang.
JL: There’s so much to tell. It’s obviously about nature, about survival but for me it was really a place to work out the transformation that I myself had undergone from a teenager to a married man.
YA: Why did you decide to tell parts of the story from the point of view of White Fang?
JL: For me, it was so interesting to explore this wilding, this heroic yet tragically flawed canine in a way that allowed others to experience what he was experiencing.
YA: How do you feel about the emergence of wolf companions in more modern shows and stories?
JL: I think it’s great! I love the dire wolves in Game of Thrones.
YA: The novel has been published in over 89 different languages including Braille editions. How do you feel about that?
JL: Astounded. It surpassed even my wildest dreams.
YA: It has also been adapted into several films…do you have a favorite?
JL: I’m sure I’m not supposed to…but Ethan Hawke was brilliant.
YA: Do you have another work of yours outside White Fang that you particularly love?
JL: It’s difficult to try to objectively talk about my own work like that. The process of each piece of writing is different and what resonates with readers is different, also. I did enjoy how The Call of the Wild came out.
YA: People say that The Call of the Wild and White Fang are companion novels…do you agree?
JL: Absolutely. Dogs are as interesting as people and can be extremely communicative.
YA: How do you feel about the notion of writer as celebrity?
JL: I have mixed emotions. On the one hand it’s allowed me to live a comfortable life and draw attention to causes I believe in. On the other, doing anything for the sake of celebrity is detrimental. If you get into writing to be famous, I beg of you, for both literature and your own sanity, do something else.