If you’re not Don Layton, or if you haven’t read much about the Russian Revolution, then you probably don’t recognize Mr. Ulyanov as the revolutionary leader, V.I. Lenin. I’ll come clean and admit that Lenin didn’t send this blurb from beyond his cold grave. But the facts are true, reported in Nadeszhda’s [Lenin's wife] memoir, only the blurb is fabricated. Jack London, by the way, was the most read and honored American author in all the Soviet Union.
Blurb #2: “Jack London’s great theme is the cruelty of Nature. Life is a savage struggle, and victory has nothing to do with justice.”–Eric Blair
Now consider this line by Eric Blair: “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face–forever.” And then this excerpt from an author Blair valued highly: “...no appeal...can ever touch you. Your hearts are as hard as your heels as they tread upon the faces of the poor.”
Eric Blair’s pen name was George Orwell. The first of these boot quotations is from Orwell’s famous dystopian novel, “1984.” Those hard-hearted heels on the faces of the poor? This is from Jack London’s disturbing novel, “The Iron Heel,” written in 1908. Orwell also wrote “Animal Farm,” a novel filled with animals acting like people (and one, Old Napoleon, definitely resembles Lenin).
And finally, bringing the endorsements up-to-date, if not necessarily to a higher plane, we have this for your consideration:
Blurb #3: “I read it [“The Call of the Wild”] when I was eight. It’s about my favorite place in the world.”–Samuel Wurzelbacher
Sam, Sam, the next thing you’re going to tell us is how honored you would be to serve as Vice-President in a Sarah Palin administration. Joe the Plumber/Samuel Wurzelbacher’s first book, with co-author Tom Tabback, “Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream,” was just released. I haven’t read it so I can’t report on boots or animals in “Joe’s” work.
It’s clear that London’s writing and “The Call of the Wild” has appeal that is wide and deep. The Big Read is hoping to expand this circle to include readers open to a tale wise and haunting
And the bonus question? -- The beautiful woman in the Blurber quiz post is Jack London's second wife, Charmian. Here she is with Jack in Hawaii. London sometimes called her "Woman C
ompanion," a "type" of woman he contrasted with the "Woman Mother" "type." You might think of this labeling as sexism 1900 style. London should have been wiser about these things. He personally knew the great feminist writer and philosopher of the day, Charlotte Perkins Gilman.Any thoughts on the meager presentation of women (human, canine, canine/human) in "The Call of the Wild"?
