People of the Abyss

Jack London, a recognized classic of American and world literature, became famous primarily as an author of novels and stories about fascinating and dangerous journeys, about strong, noble, and determined people. He was never a dreamer in an ivory tower... and learned from an early age what the struggle for survival is. His fate included exhausting factory work, 'pirate' adventures, and the 'gold rush.' Life itself provided him with plots and images of heroes, allowing him to tell how unpredictable the twists of fate can be.

In 1903, he published the book 'People of the Abyss,' in which he described London's 'underworld' and its inhabitants. In the summer of 1902, he went to the East End neighborhoods to see for himself the life of those who found themselves beyond the poverty line, who were forced to struggle, hoping not to die from hunger and destitution. Summarizing the experience gained on this journey, Jack London questions the viability of a civilization that creates all kinds of new goods but does not ease the plight of the ordinary person.