Jack London

The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906) are world famous animal stories. Set in Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s, The Call of the Wild is about Buck, the magnificent cross-bred offspring of a St Bernard and a Scottish Collie. Stolen from his pampered life on a Californian estate and shipped to the Klondike to work as a sledge dog, he triumphs over his circumstances and becomes the leader of a wolf pack. The story records the 'decivilisation' of Buck as he answers 'the call of the wild', an inherent memory of primeval origins to which he instinctively responds. In contrast, White Fang relates the tale of a wolf born and bred in the wild which is civilised by the master he comes to trust and love. The brutal world of the Klondike miners and their dogs is brilliantly evoked and Jack London's rendering of the sentient life of Buck and White Fang as they confront their destiny is enthralling and convincing. The deeper resonance of these stories derives from the author's use of the myth of the hero who survives by strength and courage, a powerful myth that still appeals to our collective unconscious.

As close to an autobiography as London ever wrote, this brutally frank memoir of a lifelong struggle with alcohol also offers insights into the author's life as an adventurer and popular writer.

Buck est un chien brutalement arraché à sa vie en Californie et vendu à un trafiquant de chiens de traîneau. Il doit trouver la force de survivre dans les glaces du Grand Nord et s'adapter au froid de l'Alaska, tout en s'imposant aux autres chiens de la meute. Jusqu'au jour où il devient le chien d'un maître respectable, John Thornton. Mais l'appel de la forêt sera toujours le plus fort...

bilingue Le Klondike, immensité glacée balayée par les blizzards, pays où dit-on les rivières charrient tant de pépites d'or qu'il suffit de se baisser pour les ramasser… Buck, chien-esclave, forcé à coups de fouet à tirer les traîneaux des pionniers, redevient sauvage et rejoint ses frères les loups… Hymne à la vie, à la mort et à la nature, L'appel de la forêt s'est imposé comme un des chefs-d'œuvre de la littérature américaine.

Abandonné par son compagnon dans l'immensité gelée du Klondike, un homme blessé s'obstine pourtant à avancer. Bientôt, sur ses traces, rôde une nouvelle menace. Un loup malade, squelettique, tout aussi affamé que lui...

Martin Eden, le plus autobiographique des romans de Jack London, est le récit d'un écrivain né dans les bas-fonds, homme de rien basculé dans la bourgeoisie qui croit tenir sa revanche sur la vie. C'est aussi la rencontre d'un homme et d'une femme; l'occasion enfin de découvrir le vrai visage de Jack London, une personnalité rare à la source de notre modernité. Son oeuvre, dont Martin Eden est le point d'orgue, a fasciné des millions de lecteurs.

Puffin Classics bring together the best-loved stories to a new generation. In The Call of the Wild life is good for Buck in Santa Clara Valley, where he spends his days eating and sleeping in the golden sunshine. But one day a treacherous act of betrayal leads to his kidnap, and he is forced into a life of toil and danger. Dragged away to be a sledge dog in the harsh and freezing cold Yukon, Buck must fight for his survivial. Can he rise above his enemies and become the master of his realm once again?Jack London (1876-1916) was born John Chaney in Pennsylvania, USA and despite a lack of education in his childhood, and a variety of odd jobs, he always maintained his love of books. In 1896 he was caught up in the gold rush to the Klondike river in north-west Canada which became the inspiration for his story, The Call of the Wild, published in 1903, and followed by White Fang in 1906. Jack London became one of the most widely read writers in the world. With an inspirational introduction by award-winning author Melvyn Burgess, The Call of the Wild is one of the wonderful Puffin Classics being relaunched with exciting new coversThe book includes a behind-the-scenes journey, including an author profile, a guide to who's who, activities and more. Also in Puffin ClassicsA Little PrincessAlice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures Through the Looking GlassAnne of Green Gables seriesBlack BeautyHans Andersen's Fairy TalesHeidiJourney to the Centre of the EarthLittle Women seriesPeter PanTales of the Greek HeroesThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Adventures of King ArthurThe Adventures of Tom SawyerThe Call of the WildThe Jungle BookThe OdysseyThe Secret GardenThe Wind in the WillowsThe Wizard of OzTreasure Island