Martin Eden

by Jack London, Solmaz Kâmuran (Translator), Zülfü Livaneli (Foreword)

İnkılâp Kitabevi, Zülfü Livaneli seçkisine dünya edebiyatının usta yazarı Jack London’dan tesirli bir başyapıt daha ekliyor. Martin Eden, bu kez kalemiyle edebiyatımıza unutulmayacak bir imza atan Zülfü Livaneli’nin önsözüyle okuyucusuyla buluşuyor.

1990 yılında kaleme alınan Martin Eden, kült bir eser haline gelmiş ve birçok dile çevrilmiş olmanın yanı sıra, Jack London’ın hayatından izler taşıyan yarı otobiyografik bir roman.

Denizci ve taşralı bir gencin sınıf atlama çabasını, bunun için varını yoğunu ortaya koymasını, hatta erişmeye çalıştığı sınıfla birlikte kendi benliğini de aşması sonucu yaşadığı farkındalığı ve derin hüznü konu edinen kurgu, Jack London’ın efsanevi kalemiyle buluşunca okuyucusunu benzersiz bir deneyim ile baş başa bırakıyor.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, American, Literature, Novels, Roman, The United States Of America

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

John Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.

London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.

His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've ever read. A remarkable attempt by Jack London in dissecting a person's evolution of being as they happen upon the path of enlightenment. Martin Edin (M.E.--a hint at the author's identification with the hero?) is a roughneck sailor who is blinded and transformed by the inner and outer beauty of a woman he meets, but this is just the beginning. Looking into her eyes he caught, "glimpses of the soul, and a glimpse of his own too." His former mode of being had come to an end.

Throughout the story his journey is chronicled as an intellectual and moral advance that conducts him from the dark haunts of his former 'cave' of a life, and gives entrance into a world of truth and love that was too white hot in radiance for the sleepy bumps he used to call his eyes. He educates himself through a personal track of reading books (indiscriminately at first, but in time becoming more direct and intentional), and soon he soars above even his erudite peers in his apprehension of philosophy and scientific verities. "And so you arise from mud, Martin Edin,...and you cleanse your eyes in a great brightness, thrusting your shoulders among the stars...and wresting highest heritage from all the powers that be."

He mounts to a dizzying height of cultural development and cerebral prowess...yet he ultimately finds himself engulfed in loneliness and emptiness. He had opened the windows of the cramped quarters of his former existence, and having completed his trek of this new world he discovered, he finds that it is hermetically sealed from all outside life and anything that could possibly make him happy again. He had found truth, but lost love...and he finally wrestles with the decision about what to do with it all. His answer will shock you.

[İntellecta · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Seni kitap okuyan insanlarla tanıştıracağım.Hayat, ancak böyle insanlarla bir araya geliyorsan yaşanmaya değer.”

[Vit Babenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Carrying his purchase, wrapped in brown paper and Scotch-taped, he entered a bookstore and asked for Martin Eden.
‘Eden, Eden, Eden,’ the tall dark lady in charge repeated rapidly, rubbing her forehead. ‘Let me see, you don’t mean a book on the British statesman? Or do you?’
‘I mean,’ said Pnin, ‘a celebrated work by the celebrated American writer Jack London.’
‘London, London, London,’ said the woman, holding her temples.
Pipe in hand, her husband, a Mr Tweed, who wrote topical poetry, came to the rescue. After some search he brought from the dusty depths of his not very prosperous store an old edition of The Son of the Wolf.
‘I’m afraid,’ he said, ‘that’s all we have by this author.’”
Vladimir Nabokov – Pnin
I read Martin Eden in my early adolescence and in the end I even shed a tear or two…

The one opened the door with a latch-key and went in, followed by a young fellow who awkwardly removed his cap. He wore rough clothes that smacked of the sea, and he was manifestly out of place in the spacious hall in which he found himself. He did not know what to do with his cap, and was stuffing it into his coat pocket when the other took it from him.

A young man from the bottom of society… But he has a dream… He is ambitious and he wants to win… He is a man of willpower and volition… He is for knowledge and education… He starts learning… And he falls in love…

During those several weeks he saw Ruth half a dozen times, and each time was an added inspiration. She helped him with his English, corrected his pronunciation, and started him on arithmetic. But their intercourse was not all devoted to elementary study. He had seen too much of life, and his mind was too matured, to be wholly content with fractions, cube root, parsing, and analysis; and there were times when their conversation turned on other themes – the last poetry he had read, the latest poet she had studied. And when she read aloud to him her favorite passages, he ascended to the topmost heaven of delight. Never, in all the women he had heard speak, had he heard a voice like hers. The least sound of it was a stimulus to his love, and he thrilled and throbbed with every word she uttered.

But he loves in vain… He keeps relentlessly moving forth and upwards… He becomes a writer… He succeeds… He is published… He becomes renowned… Now those who used to despise him cringe… But along with the fame arrives frustration…

“It was work performed! And now you feed me, when then you let me starve, forbade me your house, and damned me because I wouldn’t get a job. And the work was already done, all done. And now, when I speak, you check the thought unuttered on your lips and hang on my lips and pay respectful attention to whatever I choose to say. I tell you your party is rotten and filled with grafters, and instead of flying into a rage you hum and haw and admit there is a great deal in what I say. And why? Because I’m famous; because I’ve a lot of money. Not because I’m Martin Eden, a pretty good fellow and not particularly a fool. I could tell you the moon is made of green cheese and you would subscribe to the notion, at least you would not repudiate it, because I’ve got dollars, mountains of them. And it was all done long ago; it was work performed, I tell you, when you spat upon me as the dirt under your feet.”

Fiction… And reality blindly follows fiction… Virginia Woolf… Ernest Hemingway… Sylvia Plath… Richard Brautigan… David Foster Wallace…

[Candi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! My last two reading adventures have left me reeling. The one before this, Waterland, put me in a dream-like trance. This one won’t allow me to let go of its eponymous hero. Martin Eden pops up in my head at random times throughout the day. Perhaps random isn’t the right word, because as I start thinking about my own life, Martin intrudes. Anyone that has had a thirst for books and knowledge should be able to relate to him on some level. His story is that of a young sailor of low birth that has stepped into the drawing rooms of the bourgeois and fallen in love with books and a woman outside his class.

“He glanced around at his friend reading the letter and saw the books on the table. Into his eyes leaped a wistfulness and a yearning as promptly as the yearning leaps into the eyes of a starving man at sight of food.”

Martin no longer boards ships, but instead embarks on a journey of reading and education. He visits the library and is possessed with the desire to learn about all sorts of topics – from philosophy to physics. He becomes obsessed with it – and with Ruth, that exquisite creature who believes he is not her equal. There’s a lot here about the divide between the lower and middle and upper middle classes. Despite their differences, Ruth can’t resist the pull of Martin’s strength and vitality.

“Her knowledge of love was purely theoretical, and she conceived of it as lambent flame, gentle as the fall of dew or the ripple of quiet water, and cool as the velvet-dark of summer nights. Her idea of love was more that of placid affection, serving the loved one softly in an atmosphere, flower-scented and dim-lighted, of ethereal calm. She did not dream of the volcanic convulsions of love, its scorching heat and sterile wastes of parched ashes…”

As Martin expands his knowledge, he also begins to write. He believes writing will earn him a living and make him worthy of Ruth. As a result, there’s a lot in here about the writer’s life as well. In fact, this novel is said to be largely self-autobiographical. Martin burns the candle at both ends, submits manuscript after manuscript to dozens of magazines, and waits for something to happen. He is sure of his skill, but the editors don’t seem to agree. Until they do. In the meantime, Martin is advised repeatedly to get steady work. Ruth and her family urge him to set aside his typewriter and make an honest man of himself. But Martin is the honest man in the bunch. He is pursuing his goals and sharing his personal truths. But who understands such things? Not very many people do. He finds one true friend that believes in him. I guess we are all lucky when such a person comes along. But even he thinks Martin seeks happiness in all the wrong places.

“What you want is the magnificent abandon of life, the great free souls, the blazing butterflies and not the little gray moths. Oh, you will grow tired of them, too, of all the female things, if you are unlucky enough to live. But you won’t live. You won’t go back to your ships and sea; therefore, you’ll hang around these pest-holes of cities until your bones are rotten, and then you’ll die.”

Okay, maybe it’s not the most upbeat pep talk ever, but still! Anyway, I don’t want to spoil the story for you, but I will say that there’s an element to Martin Eden that made me think of another gem of a story – Flowers for Algernon. As the main characters in both novels gain intellect and knowledge, they become increasingly isolated from society in general. Just when I was growing a wee bit weary from some of the details of Martin’s philosophizing, London really kicks off. In fact, just as I started to tucker out, I stopped to think about the fact that my very discerning reader friend, Pedro, had gushed about this book. I reached out to him and yes, let’s face it, I moaned a bit about it to him. His response was “Just wait, Candi!” I followed his advice. Now this is what I have to say in return:



Yep, I turned into a blubbering mess by the end of this. Martin Eden, please vacate my head!

Jack London not only wrote brilliant survival novels set in frigid climates with animal heroes, but he also wrote works set in more tropical parts of the world, as well as some dystopian pieces. And this one. A masterpiece of the struggle of the human mind and heart to find a place in the world.

“He had fitted in wherever he found himself, been a favorite always and everywhere by virtue of holding his own at work and at play and by his willingness and ability to fight for his rights and command respect. But he had never taken root. He had fitted in sufficiently to satisfy his fellows but not to satisfy himself. He had been perturbed always by a feeling of unrest, had heard always the call of something from beyond, and had wandered on through life seeking it until he found books and art and love.”

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Limited minds can recognize limitations only in others.
Martin Eden ~~~ Jack London


Jack London's Martin Eden is one of the most fascinating novels I have ever read. It is one of those rare novels where I can identify closely with the main character. It is also one of those books where the reader is hooked from page one and entirely swept up in the the world London Creates.

Set in San Francisco, this semi-autobiographical novel is the story of Martin Eden, a sailor, who pursues ambitiously, dreams of bettering himself thru education and literary fame. With the help of the woman he falls in love with, he educates himself feverishly, reads everything he can get his hands on, and becomes a writer, hoping to gain the respectability sought by his girl.

Martin Eden soon learns that fame is a cruel mistress, that may never come to him. Martin works on his writing everyday, once he feels confident, he starts writing articles, essays and stories, sending them off to magazines and newspapers all across the country. He gets rejected by most of the magazines and newspapers he sent submissions to for quite a time until that cruel mistress comes knocking at his door. Lost love turns false and Martin pledges himself back towards the sea.



Class is a major theme throughout Martin Eden . Martin grew up as part of the working class and went on to become a sailor. A chance encounter brings him into contact with the Morris family. He feels uncomfortable, but inspired to better himself upon meeting them. Spurred on by his love for Ruth Morse, he embarks on a program of self-education, with the aim of becoming a famous writer and winning Ruth’s hand in marriage. As his education progresses, Martin finds himself increasingly distanced from his working class background and surroundings. Eventually, when he finds that his education has far surpassed that of the class he looked up to, he finds himself more isolated than he ever felt possible.

I loved that London tied the theme of class not to material wealth, but to education, & not to formal education as earned in degrees and diplomas, but to self improvement, & experience as well as critical thinking & analysis. Martin ultimately realizes this is actually a much higher education than the formal education enjoyed by the class he initially looked up to & so desperately wanted to part of.

London's Prose is beautifully expressive. He was a true master of the English language. Martin Eden is nearly perfect, and had left a lasting impression on me much the same as his Call of the Wild did.

In the end, Martin does achieve the greatness he desires, but at a tremendous personal cost. In addition to becoming an educated person, and the toast of the town, Martin is a man of honor. He makes it his life's work to lift others up from poverty and despair, and aids his friends and family, lifting them up to a better life in a way that no one offered to him when he was down. Martin Eden is truly a great and admirable man in many ways.

London is becoming one of my favorite writers. His work sticks with me in ways that most authors do not. The friendship between Martin Eden & Russ Brissenden will always stay with me. I will be pondering Martin Eden for years to come.

[Sine · Rating 5 out of 5]

bu sabah 8 gibi uyandım. telefondaki bildirimlere baktıktan sonra çocukluğumdan beri yapmayı en çok sevdiğim şeye geçtim: hafta sonu sabahı yataktan kalkmadan kitap okumak. ondan daha çok sevdiğim bir şey varsa o da o kitabı kalkmadan bitirmek. kitabı zaten başından beri bayılarak okuyordum ama son 100 sayfayı bu sabah o kadar büyük bir zevkle okudum ki, öğün atlamama izin vermeyen migren ve gastritimi susturmak adına kalkıp biraz kayısı ve badem yedim ve koşarak yatağa geri döndüm.

bir kitap değerlendirmesinde böyle şahsi ve gereksiz detayların yeri yok biliyorum, ama kitabı o kadar sevdim ki, bence bunların hepsinin önemi var. işte böyle, sabah kalkmadan okuma ritüelimin hakkını veren kitapları ayrı bir seviyorum. martin eden, 1909'da, amerika'da yayınlanmış bir kitap gibi değil; yani hem öyle, hem değil. sadece bir karakterin hikayesini anlatırken bu kadar evrensel, zamansız bir şey anlatabilmek çok büyük bir başarı. 2019'un türkiye'sinde okuyan bir kadının, 1909'un amerika'sında yaratıcılık duygusundan toplumun hiçbir sınıfına sığamayan, bir yandan açlıkla, yoksullukla; bir yandan çevresindeki insanlara sevgisini ve sadakatini ispat ile başa çıkmaya çalışan bir erkekle, kendisinin böyle dertleri olmadığı halde bağ kurmasını sağlamak çok, çok büyük bir başarı. üstelik, kendisi sosyalist olan london'ın, onunla çok zıt düşünen fakat yine de okurların kendini özdeşleştirecekleri kadar canlı, gerçek bir karakter yaratmasına ise diyecek söz bulamıyorum.

yukarıdaki spoiler'da faydalandığım detay ve nicelerini öğrenmemi, onlarla beraber bir sürü yazardan, sanatçıdan haberdar olmamı sağlayan çevirmen levent cinemre'ye ise büyük bir teşekkür borçluyum. kitabın kendisi roman sanatı olarak tanıtılabilecek seviyede bir kusursuzluğa sahipken, türkiye'deki okurların bu romandan alacağı keyfi zerre düşürmeyen, hatta dipnotlarıyla katbekat artıran çeviri de gerçek bir çeviri sanatı örneği bence.

son olarak, hikayenin başından sonuna kadar, kesintisiz ve tutarlı bir şekilde devam eden, somut bir şey gibi gelen, takip edilebilen karakter gelişimlerinin aşığıyım. bu kitap da bunun çok güzel bir örneği.

[Simona B · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Of course it was beautiful; but there was something more than beauty in it, something more stingingly splendid which had made beauty its handmaiden."

It is astounding how long it took for me to digest this book -and I say this in nothing but praise. Honestly, it's not like I'm sure the process is completed; I tend to believe the best books are the ones you never wholly digest, the ones that keep nagging at your mind for weeks, months, years, forever, too, if that is what it takes. And the best books are, also, the ones that, lo and behold, turn out to be but little mirrors of yourself - and more often than not, very much to your own dismay, shame, embarrassment and a tiny, timid ember of inner joy.
For me, Martin Eden was both.

Meet young Martin Eden: a sailor, a commoner, an illiterate, a Mr Nobody, were it not for one thing: his boundless, painful sensitivity to beauty. Martin Eden can be described as naive in many (or possibly all) respects, but not this. He may not be able to give a cultured, sophisticated definition of what art is or is thought to be, but he just knows. He would say that he just knows it in his guts, though he wouldn't be able to elaborate further than that. He uses a metaphor that I took to heart immediately, probably because I find it not only strikingly to the point, but also poignant, smeared with sadness, and that was what stuck; it goes, "Dogs asleep in the sun often whined and barked, but they were unable to tell what they saw that made them whine and bark. He had often wondered what it was. And that was all he was, a dog asleep in the sun."

I think we're all, a little, like dogs asleep in the sun. Martin Eden aimed at the stars, sought to express the inexpressible, to strip humans of their own skin; but aren't we all a little like Martin Eden, like that slumbering dog, every minute of our life? I, for sure, feel like that constantly. I constantly feel like I've got tons of things to say, and never manage. And it's frustrating, so terribly frustrating. But I guess I learned to live with that, with our never-ending communicative stalling, with beating around the bush, with being close but never really there. Yes, I feel this is a good definition of what Martin Eden is: close but never really there. He is one of "the legions of toil", a "hoodlum", but he does not conform: he is too aware and awake, almost criminally so (there is a reason if his family, or part of it, almost disowns him). But even later, after he becomes a learned man, a famous writer, when he is finally allowed into the upper classes, he cannot ignore that he doesn't belong there either, as if he still hadn't got out the last bit of dirt from under his nails, or rather, as if the fact that they didn't have any, had never had any, could never, ever sit well with him. I know London didn't intend for him to be idolized, and I'm not idolizing it (obviously, or what I'm saying wouldn't have sense at all) but I see myself in him. I see myself and you and you and all, and I see myself projected in him as the minuscule Titan I am in my mind. Did London intend for this? I can't tell, but I certainly thank him for Martin Eden.

"Saints in heaven -how could they be anything but fair and pure? No praise to them. But saints in slime -ah, that was the everlasting wonder! That was what made life worth while."

I loved this book beyond words, and that is why I won't shame it further by attaching more of this senseless blabbering to it. It's sad and terrible and asphyxiating (in my mind it is Martin Eden; or, The Cage) and wide-ranging, and it's a masterpiece. So my request is: treat it kindly, even if it won't do the same to you. It simply doesn't know any better.

[Valeriu Gherghel · Rating 4 out of 5]

E greu de înțeles cum un om poate ieși din ignoranță și servitute, muncind cîte 19 ore pe zi (citește și scrie), dar nu poate trece de primul eșec sentimental (sesizează că Ruth Morse, femeia de care s-a îndrăgostit, nu este chiar o zeiță, o întrupare a Perfecțiunii) și decide, subit, să se sinucidă.

Înainte de acest efort supraomenesc (care nu ține mai mult de 3 ani), viața are sens pentru el (și știe intuitiv să se bucure de ea); cînd efortul lui se încheie (obține glorie și avere), Eden observă că e uscat și lipsit de orice dorință și chef de a trăi. Studiul l-a ajutat să ajungă în preajma Frumosului, dar de la înălțimea uimitoare la care a acces, totul i se pare insignifiant, lipsit de orice rost. Ruth nu-l mai interesează (fiindcă n-a fost în stare să-și abandoneze condiția burgheză), dar nici Lizzie Connolly (femeia simplă, care îl iubește pentru el însuși și nu pentru notorietate și bani) nu-i mai trezește interesul. Metamorfoza eroului este neverosimilă.

Altfel, n-ar fi rău să recitim ultimul paragraf al romanului, cel mai frumos din carte. Martin Eden se aruncă în ocean și înoată în adînc:

„Se afla mult prea în adînc... Lumina aceea creştea mereu şi era din ce în ce mai strălucitoare. Se auzea un ropot prelung şi zgomotos, iar lui i se părea că se prăvăleşte pe o scară largă şi fără sfîrşit. Iar undeva, la capăt, se prăbuşi în întuneric. Atîta a ştiut. Că se prăvălise în beznă. Şi în clipa cînd a ştiut, a încetat să mai ştie” (p.465).

Cele 4 steluțele reprezintă, desigur, o judecată afectivă. Am citit cartea lui Jack London de prea multe ori. Am descoperit-o pe la 15 ani. A trecut, vai, o veșnicie...

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a classical philosophical tragedy: unrecognized genius vs bourgeois society, but the main character is unsympathetical. Although his assumptions about society is hard to deny, his attitude toward other people is pretentious and extremely rude. He values his own principals more than anything else and even in love and charity he proclaims an individualism and Nietzschean ideas of power.
In general, the book is a nice description of America's society at the beginning of the twentieth century and has deep phycological research of human nature.

[Best Friend with Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hayatımın en etkileyici romanlarından biri artık o. Tek kelimeyle muhteşem.
İnsan hayatının gidişatını değiştirebilecek güce sahip bir karakter Martin Eden. Anlatım o kadar başarılı, içerik o kadar güzel ki. Konu, verilen zaman döngüsü içerisinde ustalıkla işlenmiş. Martin Eden'in hayatını -onunla birlikte- yaşıyoruz adeta. Son kelimesine kadar doyuran harika bir edebiyat örneği. Özellikle sayfa 320'lerden sonra resmen tutuldum kitaba. Ne desem ne yorum yapsam kitabın da yazarın da hakkını teslim etmiş olamam. Dilim, sonun da etkisiyle ancak bu kadar dönebiliyor şu anda.

Ben geç okudum ama en nihayetinde okuduğum için çok mutluyum. Okumayan kalmasın lütfen.

Sevgilerimle,
T.

[Paul Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

The average review is more nauseating than cod-liver oil
(p323)

***

Jack London himself was a working class guy who got the audacious idea he wanted to be a writer, and by sheer Stakhanovite mind-over-matter vein-popping sleep-denying force he did so. His stand-in here, our Martin, does just the same. So here is the story of how a working class guy who drops all his aitches and does not know which fork to use to eat soup, and knocks over his girlfriend’s mother’s doilies with the lurchings of his sailorboy shoulders becomes the toast of literary America. This means that we get about 250 pages in which the same thing happens over and over again :

Eating only three dried apricots per day and living in a single nasty room ("those potatoes are rotting. Smell them, damn you, smell them") with a bicycle suspended above his bed, Martin writes like a madman all day except for the hours he reads philosophy and poetry. He cuts his sleep down to four hours and resents every moment of unconsciousness. What is he writing? Love poetry, sociophilosophical essays, adventure stories, jokes, doggerel verse, you name it. Out it pours. He mails it all off to any one of 200 magazines and waits for the inevitable rejection letters, which arrive daily. Occasionally he sells a joke or a comic poem for two dollars. Now he can eat four dried apricots today! And he can get his suit out of the pawnshop so he can go and visit his posh girlfriend whose family regard him as something the cat dragged in. There, she swoons against his bulging thighs while giving him tips on grammar. Meanwhile he pounds Spencerian knowledge into her father, accusing him of every crime known to the bourgeois. You fatuous worm! He says. I will crush your kind with the heel of my boot, when I have redeemed it from the pawnshop. I will not even notice your bleeding corpse. My how amusing you are, Martin, says the father, meanwhile passing a note to the mother which says WE MUST KILL HIM TOMORROW. Oh Martin, your neck is like a bullock, sighs Ruth, the ethereal daughter.

I admit this stuff gets a little bit tiresome for 250 pages but there’s no denying the intensity of Jack’s prose – his style is like a guy trapped in a cave desperately scrabbling at the wall of solid rock to reach daylight. It ain’t pretty but it’s intense, even if it does get more than a little eyerolling at times. It becomes very clear that Jack London thought that Jack London was a hell of a fellow, brawny and brainy ("he was himself possessed of unusual brain vigor") and handsome and charming the little birds right out of the sky. All girls swoon when he hoves into view. Oooh those bulging biceps.

By the way, it has to be acknowledged that Jack London can come out with some of the worst sentences I’ve read in a long time -

Her penetrative virginity exalted and disguised his own emotions, elevating his thoughts to a star-cool chastity

…summer lingered, fading and fainting among her hills, deepening the purple of her valleys, spinning a shroud of haze from waning powers and sated raptures, dying with the calm content of having lived and lived well.

he appreciated the chance effects in words and phrases that came lightly and easily into his brain, and that later stood all tests of beauty and power and developed tremendous and incommunicable connotations.

But I must say I mostly loved this oddly compelling 500 page howl of anguish, for that’s what it is. Jack London seems to be engaged in nothing more than self-love and aggrandizement for three quarters of Martin Eden, but then the direction of travel skews wildly and his hero reveals himself to be nothing more than an unpleasant kind of Nietzschean protofascist. Maybe Jack was at war with himself here. Something was up with Jack, for sure!

Nobody liked this novel at the time, they wanted more dog stories.

FURTHER READING :

Hunger by Knut Hamsun and New Grub Street by George Gissing for guys starving themselves while they try to make it as a writer;

and Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes for another guy who starts off knowing nothing and very quickly appears to know like almost everything – Charlie is given a brain enhancing drug in that book but Martin, being Jack, doesn’t need no drug, just three dried apricots a day.

SOUNDTRACK

Get a Job by The Silhouettes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysKhb...

Their highest concept of right conduct, in his case, was to get a job. That was their first word and their last. It constituted their whole lexicon of ideas. Get a job! Go to work! Poor, stupid slaves, he thought, while his sister talked. Small wonder the world belonged to the strong. The slaves were obsessed by their own slavery. A job was to them a golden fetish before which they fell down and worshipped.

Superman by REM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxQS6...

Martin’s trick of visioning was active as ever. His brain was a most accessible storehouse of remembered fact and fancy, and its contents seemed ever ordered and spread for his inspection. Whatever occurred in the instant present, Martin’s mind immediately presented associated antithesis or similitude which ordinarily expressed themselves to him in vision. It was sheerly automatic, and his visioning was an unfailing accompaniment to the living present

Success by Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks (vocal : Maryanne Price)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hx0N...

Money poured in on him, fame poured in on him; he flashed, comet-like, through the world of literature, and he was more amused than interested by the stir he was making

Shark Attack by The Wailing Souls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw5lI...

Life was to him like strong, white light that hurts the tired eyes of a sick person. During every conscious moment life blazed in a raw glare around him and upon him. It hurt. It hurt intolerably.

[Argos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hayranı olduğum yazar Jack London'ın yarı-otobiyografisi olarak kabul edilen bu kitabını heyecanla okudum. İnanılmaz iyi bir çeviri ve kitap sonunda yer alan faydalı notlar çok keyifli bir okuma sağlıyor. Statü, para ve sınıf atlamanın yanısıra hayal kırıklılığı, ikiyüzlülük, doyumsuzluk gibi kavramları dantel gibi işlemiş J.London.

Diğer romanlarındaki doğa ve yaşama mücadelesi yerine kent yaşamı ve kent insanları yer alıyor bu romanda. Kitapta en beğendiğim bölümlerden birisi de şu satırlardır; " Editörlerin yüzde doksan dokuzunun başta gelen özelliği, başarısızlıkları. Yazar olmayı başaramamışlar. Yazmaya çalışmış ve becerememişler. İşte lanetli paradoks burada. Edebiyatta başarıya açılan her kapının önünde bekçi köpeği olarak onlar durur......Onların ardından yine bir başka başarısızlık abidesi olan eleştirmenler gelir. Büyük eleştirmenler yok değil ama sayıları kuyrukluyıldızlar kadar azdır..." (s.307-8).

500 sayfalık kitap su gibi okunduğu gibi felsefi tartışmalara da yer vererek dünya görüşünüzü ve düşüncelerinizi de zenginleştirecektir. H.Spencer'ı bu kitapla tanıdığımı belirtmekte yarar var

[John Mauro · Rating 5 out of 5]

No wolves here 🐺, just a tragic story of a former sailor who seeks to educate himself and realize his dream of becoming an author.

"Martin Eden" is Jack London's masterpiece. It is among the best naturalist novels ever published, on par with the best of Emile Zola. It is a powerful social commentary on the struggles of the working class and the perils of individualism.

If you think Jack London is just for kids, think again. This book is a classic, and for very good reason.

[Matthew Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

39th book of 2024.

I've wanted to read Martin Eden for some time, and a colleague recently raved about it, so I finally took it down from my main case and began. The plot is simple: an uneducated sailor, Martin, dreams of becoming a famous writer and falls in love with a woman, Ruth, from a bourgeois family. It's a writer's bildungsroman. Anyone who writes, or dreams of writing, would find this a moving and relatable read. As Martin asks himself at one point, '"What does it profit a man to write a whole library and lose his own life?"'

There are many discussions on socialism and art throughout the novel. The introduction makes it clear that London wrote this semi-autobiographical novel as a way of attacking the world he lived in, but instead, made Eden one of his most endearing and ambitious characters.

"But, Martin, if that be so, if all the doors are closed as you have shown so conclusively, how is it possible that any of the great writers ever arrived?"
"They arrived by achieving the impossible," he answered. "They did such blazing, glorious work as to burn to ashes those that opposed them. They arrived by course of miracle, by winning a thousand-to-one wager against them. They arrived because they were Carlyle's battle-scarred giants who will not be kept down. And that is what I must do. I must achieve the impossible."

So there is indeed more to London than The Call of the Wild. This is a well-written and well-plotted novel about the plight of all artists, not just writers. It seems in today's society, as much as in London's, there's a certain scorn around budding artists. As Martin Eden in the novel discovers, he was not praised for 'work performed'; when he finished a story, the people around him did not care, and continued to tell him to get a job, but when that same story was later accepted into a magazine: they congratulated him, adored him. The age old battle of the artist and the so-called 'real-world'. A man who lives across from my parents used to baulk at my degree choice of writing and literature and, in so many words, mock me whenever I was visiting home and we met in the street. This same man, on the next occasion, would attempt to impress me by works of classic literature he was reading and adoring. Amazingly, it never occurred to him that these artists he loved (writers, musicians), would never have created the works of art he relied on, had someone like himself been in their lives, stamping on the embers of their passion. One of the great ironies Martin Eden would have attacked.

[Carlo Mascellani · Rating 5 out of 5]

(RILETTURA): Lo si può leggere come un'autobiografia di London stesso. Lo si può leggere come un romanzo di formazione passionale e drammatico. Lo si può leggere come un trattato di filosofia di vita, come un'accusa verso la morale piccolo borghese che immola i sogni sull'altare del dio denaro e della posizione sociale, come un attacco al conformismo imperante. Lo si può legger come paradosso di un sogno di cui si scopra l'opacità una volta raggiunto, come una schiavitù d'amore, come monito a perseguire i propri sogni e trovar se stessi a ogni costo. Ma, di certo, al di là di tutto, a mio modesto parere Martin Eden andrebbe comunque letto.

[alper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ağzıma sıçtın be Martin Eden! Hem de her adımı bu kadar tahmin edilebilir olan hikayenle. Nasıl oldu ki, birazdan başımıza gelecekleri bilsem de bir daha bir daha dağılımam? Mutlak sonundan bu kadar etkilenmem? (“Ya çok basit canlılarız be !” diye notum vardı, senle özdeşlik kurup, o kısma girmiyorum, sen de çaktırma.) Kitabın transıyla bir süre "babam böyle pasta yapmayı nerden öğrendi" kıvamındaki sorularımın cevabını, Jack London kitap boyunca anlatıyor. Yılmadan ne kadar çok çalıştığını ve bu büyüyü nasıl oluşturduğunu.

Martin, Ruth’la başlayan o uyanışın, o adeta sünger gibi bilgiyi emişin, azmin, tutkun, merakın, 5 saat uyumana karşın zamanın sana yetmemesi, “kendine düzgün bir iş bul” lara boyun eğmeyişin, bireyselliği savunurken ablanı görünce düşündüklerin, kof/sığ burjuvanın etraflarına ördüğü sanal duvarlara -ve o insanlara- bakışın, (ama her şeye rağmen Ruth’u bunların dışında tutan, o gözüne inen perde), Briss’in şiirine olan hayranlığını ifaden, “KİTAPLAR YAZILMIŞTI" haykırışların (yine doldum, çok fena), “NEDEN KARNIMI O ZAMAN DOYURMADINIZ” feryatların… (koptum şimdi de) Ve sonraki “ben hastayım, çok hasta” sayıklamaların, kayıtsızlıkların, hissiyatını kaybedişin… (en çok içime işleyenleri aldım, o kadar çok ki)

Seni çok sevdim be Martincan :) Hayatınızın en az bir döneminde "Martin Eden" -hissiyatı içinde diyelim- olmadıysanız, bir hak daha rica edin. Bir jetoncuk daha. Sayfalar dolusu yazasım var Martin'in hissettiği o dinsel coşku ve huşunun aynısıyla (korkmayın bitti, bitti).

Çok özel bir kitap, çok özel bir karakter. Çok nefis bir anlatı.

Not: Anekdotlarda Jack London'a dair çok güzel kısımlar var, es geçmemeli.
Not 2: Sola öcü gibi bakan küçük bir Amerika oluşumuza girmeyecem. Vatan haini sosyalistler !

Birbirinden enfes alıntılarım,

“Ruth, eğer açlığı ve susuzluğu, sıcağı ve soğuğu hissediyorsa, aşkı da hissedebilir, yani bir adama aşık olabilirdi. Eh Martin de bir adamdı. Neden o adam olmasındı? ‘İşleri iyi etmek benim elimde,’ diye hararetle mırıldandı. ‘O adam ben olacağım. Kendimi o adam haline getireceğim. Her şeyi iyi edeceğim.’ “ (115)

“Ne diyordum, buradaki bütün erkek ve kadınların aydınlık, ışıl ışıl olduğunu sanırdım. Oysa şimdi, gördüğüm kadarıyla söylüyorum ki bir avuç ahmakmış bunlar.” (280,281) “Hayat hakkında, kitaplar hakkında onlardan daha fazlasını biliyor, aldıkları eğitimi hangi köşe bucağa, hangi kuytuya attıklarını merak ediyordu.” (282)

“Çevresindeki dünyadan kopmuş vaziyette, sersemlemiş bir halde, önceki hayatının edebi gerekliliklerine aşina bir hayalet gibi çalışıyordu. Hayaletlerin ölmüş ama öldüğünü fark etmemiş insanların ruhları olduğunu duyduğunu hatırlayınca, öldü de bundan haberi olmadı mı diye anlamak için bir an çalışmasını kesti.” (401)

“Hiç konuşmadan uzun süre oturdular; kız ümitsizce düşünüyor, adamsa yok olmuş aşkına kafa yoruyordu. Onu gerçekten sevmediğini şimdi anlamıştı. Sevdiği şey Ruth değil, idealize ettiği, kendi kafasında yarattığı uhrevi bir şeydi; kendi aşk şiirlerindeki ışık saçan ruhtu. Hakiki Ruth’u, sınıfının tüm o kusur ve zaaflarını taşıyan, o sınıfın psikolojisinin umutsuz sınırlarıyla kısıtlanmış burjuva Ruth’u hiç sevmemişti.” (460)

[Ayşe · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Hayattaki amacın para, şöhret yada bir sıfat edinebilmek olmamalı. Her seferinde senin var olma amacının anlamını pekiştiren bir çabada olursan, yaşamın içinde olduğunu, evrenin bir parçası olduğunu hissedersin” : Kitap bitince koltukta kalakalmış bir ben ve düşünce bulutumun içinde yazanlar bunlardı..
Martin Eden, ne harika bir anlatımdın. Yıllardır kütüphanemde olan kitap, bence zamanının gelmesini beklemiş.
Eğitimsiz bir denizcinin, aşık olduğu kızın gözüne girmek amacıyla başladığı bilgi yolculuğu ve yazar olma çabası anlatılıyor. Bilim ve felsefe alt metni, kurgunun içine öyle güzel yerleşmiş ki, Martin sorgularken ben de onunla birlikte cevapları bulmaya çalıştım.Evren, toplum, başarı, edebiyat dünyası, aşk, eğitim üzerine çokça düşündüm.
Harika bir yolculuktu.
Benim için değerli kitaplar arasına girdi.
Mutlaka okumanızı öneririm😊⭐️

[Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note, Feb. 1, 2023: I've just edited this review to make a slight stylistic change in one sentence.

In my combination review of The Call of the Wild/White Fang, I made the comment (echoing a common critical axiom) that London. like some other Naturalists, was better at portraying animal characters than human ones. That judgment was based on a prior reading of five of his novels and a number of short stories. But after reading this novel, it's a judgment that has to be substantially revised; there are no animal characters at all here, and his job of characterization is outstanding. To be sure, the title character has a lot of London himself in his background and personality; but they aren't clones of each other, and the other important characters are vitally real as well.

This is straightforward general fiction in the Realist-Naturalist tradition, set mostly in the author's native stamping grounds of San Francisco and Oakland, just across the bay. Published in 1908 (eight years before London died), it draws heavily on his own life experiences to tell the tale of a smart, but ignorant and uncultivated young seaman from a poor family, with no particularly noted talents except brawling and drinking. But when he rescues a wealthy lawyer's son from an altercation with some waterfront toughs, this leads to an introduction to their family --and a powerful crush on the beautiful and cultivated daughter of the house, Ruth. In turn, this propels him into a determination to better himself intellectually and socially, in order to make himself worthy of her, in her eyes and his own. This program takes the form of self-education through reading, especially in the public library and, eventually, a determination to become a writer himself. (Readers who know anything at all about London's life will recognize significant similarities, except that London had no Ruth-equivalent in his own life.) What results from this determination is the substance of the novel.

London was one of the greatest storytellers of his generation, and he tells an always absorbing story here. But it's a well-tailored vehicle for serious ideas. Among the areas he explores are the real meaning of love (and its difference from infatuation, etc.); the need to be true to your own deepest aspirations and sense of yourself, not what others tell you to be; and the profound social injustice of that day, with its artificial class divisions and exploitation of the poor by the rich. (And the differences between 1908 and 2017, in those respects, aren't as great as we tell ourselves they are.) His portrayal of the superficiality and hypocrisy of the literary world is scathing (and also far from dated). And he also draws a painfully accurate picture of how few human beings actually use the minds they're endowed with to really look at the world around them with curiosity, to think for themselves and think about some things more basic and important than money and the minutia of daily living; and how many are content to go through life with no more curiosity or thought than cattle, and to distrust or resent anybody else who doesn't. (Despite our dissimilarities in many other ways, I could relate to Martin profoundly on that level, and it raked up childhood memories.)

The most central thematic concern here, and probably THE central concern of London's own mind, however, is the inherent conflict between early 20th-century Socialism, with its cooperative ethic and its Utopian dream of conflict-free human brotherhood, vs. the supposedly "scientifically-proven" view of life as a Darwinist evolutionary project driven by eternal struggle between the fit and the unfit, in which the order of the day is every dog for himself, to drive evolution to the next rung of the ladder by pushing the inferior to the wall. London was a committed Socialist, and also a committed Darwinist --as with many wholly self-educated people, the first ideas that fell into his relatively fallow mind were embraced uncritically and took up unshakeable root-- but he faced the contradictions between the two, and was hag-ridden by the fear that the dream of Socialist Utopia might be doomed by Nature. Unlike London, Martin rejects Socialism and embraces the Social Darwinist individualism of Spencer and Nietszche --but he argues with Socialists and has a Socialist friend, and is haunted himself by natural human sympathy for the supposedly "unfit" and "inferior" peons of the class he was born into, which includes friends and family members.

While the author has a good vocabulary, the diction here is simpler than that of the first half of the 19th-century --intelligent, but not stilted; any serious reader today could read it with no problem. The occasional passing use of the n-word, usually in the authorial narrative voice though from Martin's viewpoint, however, is a problem; these instances could be counted on the fingers of one hand, but they're still offensive. (The Darwinism of that day, which shaped both London and his protagonist, was of course openly racist; we can see echoes of this 30 years later in the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, who couldn't afford college and also substituted self-education by reading, as well --though his racial language isn't quite as insensitive as London's.) We have to, IMO, take a "warts-and-all" view of this novel as a product of its time and place. Readers who insist on having a happy, feel-good read, too, should be warned that this isn't one; I think it's an important and in significant ways a rewarding novel, but it's not an upbeat one. But with those caveats, I think a case could be made that while this isn't London's most popular novel, it is in many ways his masterpiece.

[Dagio_maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Accidenti, le normali recensioni sono più nauseanti dell’olio di fegato di merluzzo"

E cosa dire di Martin Eden?
Un guerriero, un combattente che dalla feccia della società s'insinua nel mondo borghese prima con ammirazione e poi con disprezzo.

Come il nome del protagonista palesemente suggerisce, questa è la storia di una battaglia (Martin!) alla conquista del paradiso terrestre(Eden!).

E' l'imbarazzo il primo ad introdursi:
una porta si apre ed un mondo, fino ad allora, sconosciuto si spalanca davanti agli occhi del ventenne che odora di mare e cammina dondolando come si trovasse a solcare gli oceani anche sulla terra ferma.
L'incontro con la pallida e fragile Ruth, la scoperta della gioia del Sapere e un bisogno impellente, urgente che sboccia di colpo: scrivere! La vita di Martin Eden è destinata a cambiare.

"Chi sei, Martin Eden? chiese all'immagine riflessa nello specchio quella sera tornando in camera sua. Si osservò a lungo e con curiosità.
Chi sei tu? Che cosa sei? Qual è il tuo posto?


Considerato uno dei libri arrabbiati della letteratura americana, mette in scena una dura condanna del mondo borghese come grande espressione di falsità ed ipocrisia.

Industriali, banchieri, politici: nient'altro che sfruttatori che non sanno realmente vivere.
Ma la penna s'intinge nel vetriolo entrando anche nelle stanze del mondo editoriale:
" Sciacalli e arpie"!
I rapporti veri, genuini li si trova tra i socialisti che vivono reclusi ai margini della città.
Al centro c'è l'individualismo dei borghesi che si esprime nelle speculazioni e sopraffazioni economiche e l'individualismo filosofico a cui Martin Eden si abbarbica scoprendo le tesi di Herbert Spencer come chiave per spiegare l'esistenza tutta.
E così' Martin si ritroverà tra le mani una moneta che deciderà il suo destino:
da un lato il successo dall''altro il fallimento...

” Che cos'era? Sembrava un faro. Ma no: era nel suo cervello quell'abbagliante luce bianca. Essa brillava sempre più splendida. Seguì un lungo rombo: gli parve di scivolare lungo una china infinita, e in fondo in fondo sprofondò nel buio. Solo questo seppe. Sprofondava nel buio. E nel momento stesso in cui lo seppe, cessò di saperlo.”

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, first I will discuss what I really did like about this book.

Alright, when I first started reading it, I was very touched by the loving connection that the main character (Martin Eden) had with Ruth. It was very sweet, and at times it reminded me of my own relationship with my boyfriend, which made it endearing and all the more special to read. Jack London wrote of how Ruth would feel relieved from her studying at the university to see Martin, and how his presence rejuvenated her and gave her a better sense of being. I really really loved that. But, I was aware of the premise (Martin Eden: a guy struggling to become an accomplished and famous writer), so I quickly brushed away the idea of it being a love story, and I was totally cool with that! To be perfectly honest, though, the EARLY relationship between them was the only part of the book I was really fond of, which happened to be only like the first 100 pages.

As the story progressed, Martin started to annoy me, and the plot became very redundant and, frankly, it bored me. I just..I think what Jack London lacks in this novel is the ability to make the reader (maybe I shouldn't generalize, so we'll just say me) feel any sort of connection with the characters. I did mention, however, that initially I did feel related/connected to Martin and Ruth's relationship, but later it felt very unfulfilled.

It may seem like I'm just bashing this book..I promise you, it's not a bad read. It's just..well, I feel indifferent. I know what Jack London was trying to accomplish, and that's why I granted it 2 stars instead of 1. I get it. The struggling writer who works so hard and so long to achieve his dream, only to find that fame and fortune is not all it's cracked up to be. It's just...alright, I'm going to say it: it's cliche. Especially the ending. I don't know. I'm wasn't pleasantly surprised or anything; I knew it was coming. Blah.

The writing is beautiful (another reason I couldn't bear to give it 1 star), and London is a genius at transfixing you with his words--but, that can only take you so far. The story was lacking, in my opinion.

[Amaranta · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Era un lavoro bello e finito.”
Per tutto il libro non ho fatto altro che pensare: come può un uomo come Martin, forza e potenza allo stato puro, innamorarsi di una come Ruth, piegata ai voleri di una famiglia borghese e senza volontà? Può perché deve. Perché lui ha fame d’amore e scopre negli occhi di lei la possibilità. Martin è un uomo di mondo, ha viaggiato fino ai confini della terra nonostante sia giovane, ama la vita, le donne, è forte e il lavoro non lo spaventa. Eppure è negli occhi di lei che trova di che dissetarsi di quella sete che non ha requie. E non è per migliorare se stesso che comincia a studiare ma perché sa di poterlo fare, di essere capace di arrivare dove altri sono arrivati. La sua è una tacita sfida: raggiungere l’impossibile. Ruth non ha mai amato Martin. Ha amato il suo riflesso negli occhi di lui, quel fuoco che la sua pelle emana nel suo mondo di gelo e compostezza. Lui è un soffio di aria nuova, è come una spugna che assorbe conoscenza, e vorrebbe plasmarlo a suo modo. Ma qualcosa va storto. L’allievo, ancora una volta supera la maestra, e va oltre. E quell’abisso che prima li divideva a favore di Ruth adesso si ribalta. Martin non viene più compreso perché è arrivato ad un grado di conoscenza che va oltre quella gretta piccola borghesia di cui lei fa parte. Il suo studio disperato, una volontà di ferro, il credere fermamente in se stesso senza mai cedere fanno di lui quasi un superuomo, la sua è volontà di potenza, come dice Nietzsche, che tende a superare se stesso continuamente. Scrive, non ha di che mangiare ma scrive. Non ha come coprirsi, ma scrive. Perde i suoi pochi beni più volte impegnati ma continua a scrivere, in un delirio febbrile che a tratti lo rende pazzo agli occhi degli altri. Martin è un uomo capace di tutto. E lo dimostra al mondo. Ma il prezzo della conoscenza è altissimo per lui, senza scampo.
“ Aveva navigato in terre lontane, troppo lontane per ritornare. Era deluso da tutto. Si era trasformato in un estraneo.” . Il gelo che prima avvolgeva Ruth diventa parte integrante della vita di Martin adesso. E’ un marinaio di cultura, che non può più stare con i marinai, e non può vivere con i borghesi. E’ un pesce fuor d’acqua e se ne rende perfettamente conto.
Il libro ha una profonda spaccatura. Un prima solare, in cui tutto è luce, conoscenza, bellezza, musica che incanta e in cui Martin si inebria senza pensieri fra una macchia di ciliegia e un pomeriggio al sole. E un dopo. Come una nota stonata che suona lenta, malinconica, bassa che lo avvolge in pensieri tristi, dolorosi, faticosi. “Era senza mappa nè timone e non aveva alcun porto da raggiungere. Abbandonarsi alla deriva, vivere il minimo indispensabile, era proprio vivere che lo faceva soffrire … la vita lo infastidiva e lo annoiava e il tempo era una vera tortura” E’ come se Martin bruciasse in un soffio il suo “ tempo vitale” con quelle giornate spasmodiche passate sui libri, quelle nottate insonni, e adesso non ci fosse che un corpo vuoto senza più forze.
La vita lo vuole fino alla fine. Ma la sua volontà è più forte.
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/...

[Dolceluna ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi ci è voluto un po’ per riprendermi. E ancora adesso, di fronte a tale grandezza, fatico a trovare le parole. La cosa buffa (e incredibile) è che di Jack London non avevo mai letto nulla e anche “Martin Eden” stazionava nella mia libreria da un bel po’, in attesa di chi sa cosa, forse del suo momento giusto, con la solita stizza che, dietro al classico, si nascondesse un mattone difficile da digerire.
E invece è stato una folgorazione.
Romanzi così belli e ben scritti capitano davvero raramente.
E il merito non può che essere il suo, quello di un personaggio potentissimo, capace di strabiliarci per il percorso che, fra le pagine, compie. E’ così che un classico diventa un “page-turner” moderno, parla e lancia un messaggio indelebile indipendentemente dall’epoca in cui viene letto.
Ma Martin è talmente incredibile che è difficile immaginare che un uomo simile sia esistito, possa esistere o esisterà. Marinaio di umili origini, non stupido ma inizialmente esperto solo della vita dura e cruda, quella dei viaggi in mare, dei pesanti lavori manuali e della gente dei bassifondi, si innamora di Ruth, giovane borghese sorella di Arthur, a cui lui salva la vita in circostanza non precise. Il romanzo si apre proprio così: Arthur, per riconoscenza, introduce Martin nella sua casa, e qui il giovane marinaio scopre un mondo nuovo, completamente opposto a quello in cui è cresciuto… con l’obiettivo di conquistare Ruth, si butta a capofitto, con una forza di volontà encomiabile, nello studio della grammatica, della lingua, dell’arte e della politica, diventando, dopo tanti sacrifici, uno scrittore molto apprezzato.
Insomma, alla fine del romanzo troviamo un uomo diverso?
Tutt’affatto, o meglio, solo esteriormente. Martin impara ad esprimersi in un inglese impeccabile, ad utilizzare le buone maniere, a riconoscere e a praticare le regole del “bon ton” della vita sociale borghese e a discorrere di politica, arte e filosofia, ma la sua morale, salda, e i suoi principi, irremovibili, restano quelli di un uomo retto, sensibile, non ipocrita, di spessore. Un uomo che sa ragionare con la sua testa, e non accetta che altri pretendano di farlo ragionare con le loro. Un uomo per il quale il denaro e la “posizione” non possono precedere il carattere e la rettitudine. Un uomo che vuole essere accettato e apprezzato per quello che, dentro di sé, è. E quando si accorge che il mondo (e in particolare Ruth e la sua famiglia) lo considera solo ora che ha un certo nome in società, mentre nel momento del bisogno era invece snobbato, perde ogni stimolo nei confronti della vita. E si rende conto, con amarezza, che in questo mondo così ipocrita, non vuole più vivere.
Determinazione, rettitudine, intelligenza e coraggio trovano l’apice in questo personaggio straordinario, degno protagonista di questo romanzo straordinario.
Da leggere senza sosta, senza indugio.

[boxer_dogs_dance · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to review this without spoiling the story.

The writing and characterization are excellent but also of their time. The content can be very dark.

It's a story of a man in love with a woman, with philosophy, with writing literature. The main character is passionate as a way of life.

It's an interesting picture of past versions of Oakland and San Francisco. The main character is partially a self insert for the author but not fully.

Over the course of the book, the main character is influenced by Spencer, Marx, Nietzsche, Darwin and more. George Bernard Shaw and GK Chesterton make a brief appearance within the story as contemporary writers.

I was halfway through the book before I was invested in Martin Edens journey. after that, the book grabbed me and didn't let go although I liked Eden less than I had earlier.

[Axl Oswaldo · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023/108

Have you ever felt as if you just finished reading 'The Book of Your Life'? Because that's what happened to me with Martin Eden, probably my favorite read this year (2023). Thus, and since this is an important book for me, let's make this 'review' special too.

My rating on a scale of 1 to 5:

Quality of writing [5/5]
October 14, 2018. Midnight.
My friends and I just arrived in Córdoba (Argentina) after a two-day stay in a town nearby. Diego promised that we could stay at a friend's apartment, that was cozy(?), spacious, and close to the center of the city. Well, he lied. We were a group of eight, the apartment only had one spare room, the shower didn't have hot water, and on top of that, we had to walk around 45 minutes from the bus station to our place because—you are right—it was freaking far away from downtown. We were tired, everyone was upset (I guess they had every right to be), and we just couldn't decide where each of us would sleep. Reflecting back on it, I think 'upset' is not the most accurate way to describe how I was feeling, but rather 'disappointed.' No, I wasn't angry, not even the smell of weed bothered me, considering that I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, let alone weed. Certainly, I never thought I would be in a situation like that the same day I was turning 23. One of my friends, Paulo, hugged me while I was seated, quiet and without saying a word, and said 'Feliz cumpleaños, amigo.' It made me smile, made me see my surroundings differently, that despite the ups and downs you will learn to always look on the bright side of life. So did Jack London's prose.

Pace [5/5]
July, 2019. A hike to The Tepozteco.
'It's been 30 minutes, I know, but I need to rest.'
'Seriously? But it is nothing, Sergio, c'mon, let's keep walking!'
'Oh, I know it's no big deal, man. Here's the thing, I fell two, or three days ago while going to see my sister. I was on my bike, look, I even have a scab on my elbow; yep, right there, and my knee hurts every time we go faster. I know you are excited, it's your first time hiking El Tepozteco, no? I get it, I've been coming here so many times that I can't even recollect the last time I was here. Six months ago? Maybe five, man, I don't know. I grew up in Cuernavaca, so every time we could, my family and I came to Tepoztlán. It's dope when you are a child, now it's just like a normal day.'
'Sorry to hear about your fall, Serg. It's just, that we were together in Patagonia with Arturo and his sister, those days we walked around 25 km a day, almost a week. This feels like nothing compared to what we had to do there. Plus, they said the view from The Tepozteco is spectacular and magical. You know, the more we walk, the more eager I am to see it.'
'I know, but let's just enjoy the walk at the right pace so that we are not tired when...'

Plot development [5/5]
December 18, 2018. Around 10 PM.
Two men are seated on a bench in a public park, one next to the other. It is very dark outside, just a lamppost nearby that makes the place gloomier than it is. They don't seem to be talking to each other, as a matter of fact, there has been dead silence for a while. One of the men, the tallest one, stands up, and the other does the same afterward. It looks like he is trying to say something to the other man but just stays quiet. Then, as if in hesitation, he bends forward a little and hugs him. It doesn't look like a simple hug, though. It is a very, very long hug. They keep hugging each other for around one minute. The man who bent first seems to be crying, not conspicuously, but rather just a few tears running down his face. They stop hugging each other. The scene makes anyone believe that the end, whatever it is, is near, and that saying goodbye is inevitable. The tallest man seems to say 'You will always be...' or something like that, but it is almost inaudible. After a moment, he is walking away. He is going north, and the other one stays a little longer until he sees how his friend(?) disappears in the darkness. He goes west, walking slowly but steadily. Someone might think that, if this was the end, it was surely a sad ending. Ultimately nobody really will know what the two men were thinking in the first place before they both faded away just like memories in the vast ocean.

Characters [5/5]
February 24, 2020. School of Engineering.
What would Martin Eden say to me the day I got my final diploma in oil engineering, symbolically speaking? He might have asked whether that was the degree I always longed to have in the first place or not. If that was my ultimate goal that made me feel complete in the end. The truth is that I don't even know if I felt that way that day. You see, Martin Eden is a very tenacious man, he never gives up, he knows what he wants and when he wants it—that's why he is one of my all-time favorite characters—and the thing is that he never changes his mind as to what he wants to be, no matter what. Well, maybe he is not that apprehensive, but as soon as he finds his path, he believes in it, so to speak. He never lets go, which is why he ends up being the man he is. Was it good? Was it bad? Maybe it's up to the reader to find out Eden's beliefs and dreams and see if, eventually, he made the right decision. As of today, I can't even answer that question myself: did I make the right decision in college? Am I prepared for this or do I need to change something, however small it may be? What would you say, Martin Eden? That's what I'd like to know.

Enjoyability [5/5]
2014-2019. Life in Mexico City.

(Fill in the blanks)

Favorite food: Pastitsio, especially the one I tried at Anny's house, my Greek professor, back in the day.
Favorite spot: I can't make up my mind, so I will say both Diego Rivera Mural Museum and Vasconcelos Library. I could be there for hours just admiring one of the greatest murals I've ever seen in my life. As for the library, I guess it needs no explanation.
Favorite activity: A random walk, fully living the experience of moving to a much bigger city than mine. To be more specific, visiting museums, and theaters, going to concerts, and so on (fun fact: I visited more than 50 museums during those six years I lived there).
Favorite people: My friends Julio and Marina, we walked together every other day, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for almost two years, from our classroom (Greek class) to the nearest subway station. Those talks will never go away.
Favorite moment: Every call (or video call) I had with my parents, usually every night, once I arrived home and said 'I'm here, everything is fine' to them. Just hearing their voices and seeing they were doing well made my day.

(...)

Needless to say, this list might give anyone an idea of how much I did enjoy Martin Eden.

Insightfulness [5/5]
January 07, 2019. About 15:30. Ezeiza International Airport.
Home. It is time to be home again. We are leaving in around two hours. Again, what is home? Home: someone's or something's place of origin, or the place where a person feels they belong, according to Cambridge Dictionary. 'The place where a person feels they belong.' I like that. No, please, don't get me wrong. I have a home that I have always loved, a place where I wish I could be right now. It's been seven months, right? Six months and a half, to be more precise. My mistake. Actually, I did the maths yesterday, it's just, I don't know, sometimes I just lose track of time. What was I saying? Oh, yes, home. A place where I belong. My parents' house, for sure. I've wanted to see them again. Last year I only saw them for three weeks, in July. June? No, no, I'm completely sure it was in July. Yes, I'm pretty excited to see them again, as you can tell. If so, why am I sad? Is that what you are asking? Let me ask you this first, then. Is it possible to have more than one home? Because I feel as though I was leaving home at the same time. I'm leaving behind people I love, who I will miss quite a bit; people I might not see again soon. People who are also home, in short. Jon, and Perrine, who are also leaving. Valeria, and Gero, who are staying. I know this is what life is all about, you don't need to tell me that. I've been there before, remember? I didn't want to leave home, to begin with. I guess I was afraid of losing my place, the place where I belonged. Now I get it, I belong here too. 'Cause this is also home.

October 18, 2023. 11:18 PM.
Martin Eden also knows what home means. He knew where he belonged and where he was just an extra character in his own story. That's one of the reasons why he does what he does. Why does he keep trying? Why is he not losing faith? I guess faith is the only thing we rely on so that we are not losing our minds too. Without faith, without hope, we might not be able to find our home again. That's why I wholeheartedly hope you always find your way home and never give up. Remember, there's always one place where you belong, where you will always be loved and taken care of.

Easy of reading [5/5]
September, 2022. A nice visit to Mexico City.
It had been almost two and a half years since the last time I was here. Things looked differently and yet they had not changed almost at all. The lockdown was over, but people were still wearing masks. I couldn't believe I had to come back so soon, despite being so scared of the pandemic in the first place. But here I was, about to get my final diploma (this time literally). The day before I had just visited a favorite place of mine, a nice cafe in the middle of the city, that also happened to be near my Airbnb. Every time I went there by the end of my semester I used to have a matcha latte and a raspberry Mille-feuille, which never disappointed me. This time I had to order the same, for Auld Lang Syne. The place was crowded, one had to wait around thirty minutes to get in. Once I was inside it was pretty much as I remembered: its rustic tables, its lofty ceiling, and its walls, decorated with those classical paintings that I always loved. Undoubtedly being there again made me reminisce about the old days when, having finished my semester in college, I was enjoying a good cup of 'whatever I was up for' in that same place. This time I was nervous, though. The pandemic affected me so much that I started having panic attacks that had become a nightmare one year before. One day at midnight, while going to the bathroom I fainted, and the next thing I knew I was in a clinic, left with a scar on my left temple that was a reminder of what had just happened. I touched my scar. 'That can't happen again,' I thought. 'You are brave, Axl, you can do this. Everything will be ok, everything will be fine,' I said to myself, immediately after I realized a tall, good-looking waiter had just left my latte on the table. 'Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe...' 'Would it be everything, sir?' said the waiter smiling, who had just come back with the pastry. 'Yeah, many thanks!' No sooner had I taken the first mouthful than my memories of living in Mexico City were brought back to mind again. Regardless of my fears, for the first time there I was enjoying myself very much. I felt alive again as if I had woken up from a nightmare, and everything was normal again.

'Easy, man, easy. Everything will turn out alright.'

Photos/Illustrations [N/A]
Is it too much to ask for an illustrated edition of Martin Eden?

Total [35/7] = 5

[Harmonyofbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Seni kitap okuyan insanlarla tanıştıracağım.Hayat, ancak böyle insanlarla bir araya geliyorsan yaşanmaya değer.”
5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Uzun zamandır okumak istediğim ve hangi yayınevinden okusam diye kararsız kaldığım için sürekli ertelediğim bir kitaptı. Nihayet satın aldığımda okumak için sabırsızlanıyor halde bu ayın ilk kitabı olarak seçtim. Yazardan daha önce Beyaz Diş kitabını okuyup çok beğenmiştim, en az onun kadar ünlü olan ve herkesin dilinden düşüremediği Martin Eden nasıl bir karakter çok merak ediyordum. İşçi sınıfına mensup Martin birgün şans üzerine burjuva sınıfına mensup Ruth ile tanışıp, zaten ilgilisi olan edebiyata farklı bir bakış açısıyla yoğunlaşıp kendini geliştirmeye adar. Bu süre zarfında Martin’in aşkla dolu hislerine de yakından şahitlik ediyoruz. Sadece ilk bölümde Ruth konuşurken bile Martin’in zihninden geçenler, kurduğu cümleler ve aklında not ettikleriyle benim için unutulmaz olarak kalıcak bir kitabı okuduğumu biliyordum. Kitabın ilk başlarında Martin’in kitaplara, okumaya ve kendini geliştirmeye karşı açlığı o kadar gerçekçiydi ki çok etkilendim. Uzun bir süre tüm hareketlerini takdirle okurken yazarlık macerasına katılmasından sonraki inatçılığı beni biraz bezdirmiş olsa da sonrasında bu duruşunu olumsuz bulduğum için kendime sinirlendim. Bu amaç doğrusunda aç kalmayı, her şeyden feragat etmeyi göz önünde bulundurmasının anlamı gitgide gözümde daha önemli bir hale geldi. Son yüz sayfadaki iç karamsarlığı ve aslında vardığı başarının sonucu takındığı tavır karşısında ona hak vermekten kendimi alamadım. Gözündeki sis perdesinin açılması ve gerçeklerin farkına vardığı o kısımlar bu kitabı okuyan herkes için kesinlikle bir farkındalık kazandıracak satırlardı. Kitabın sonuyla birlikte ise büyük bir duygu yoğunluğu yaşadım. Baştan sona büyük bir merakla ve sürekli değişim gösteren olaylarla birçok duyguyu aynı anda yaşadım. Benim için unutulmaz bir kitaptı. Hatta övenler az söylüyormuş bile diyebilirim. Dünya edebiyatına hakim olmaya başlamış olan her okurun kesinlikle eline alması ve kitap dünyasına bu karakteri katması gerektiğini düşünüyorum. Keyifli okumalar dilerim..

[Ahmet Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benim bir romanda ilk aradığım, dilin ustalıklı kullanımıdır. İyi anlatımı kurguya yeğ tutarım. Bazı arkadaşlarım “fazla mekanik” bulsalar da, bu bende böyledir.

Martin Eden, Jack London’ın ilk okuduğum kitabı oldu. Hikaye baştan sona sürükleyiciydi. İtiraf etmeliyim ki, hem kitabın baş kahramanı Martin Eden’ın zorlu yaşam mücadelesi hem de romandaki lirik aşk hikayesi ilk sayfalardan itibaren beni kendisine kilitledi. Son cümleye dek de soluksuz takipte kaldım.

Ama işte dedim ya dil önemli diye, doğrusu başlarda, kitabın ilk üçte birlik bölümünde yazarın dili bana biraz basit, yavan geldi. Bu belki de kitaba bir Dostoyevski romanı sonrasında başlamış olmamdan kaynaklanmıştır, bilemiyorum.

Ama sonra, nasıl olduğunu benim de tam anlamadığım bir şekilde, dildeki o basitliği sevmeye başladım. Daha doğrusu, o basitlik dediğim hadiseyi sonraları sadelik/yalınlık olarak görmeye ve bu yalınlığın kitaba harika bir akıcılık kattığını düşünmeye başladım.

Yazar kitapta okuyucuyu kendisine kilitleyen cinsten nefis iki hikaye zaten yakalamış (bir kişisel gelişim hikayesi, bir de nefes kesen bir aşk hikayesi), hal böyle olunca da, anlatım dili süper-akıcı olsun ki bu hikayeler daha net öne çıkabilsin diye düşünmüş gibi hissettim. Zaten bir noktadan sonra kurgu, dil, anlatılan hikaye hepsi birbirinden beslenmeye başlıyor.

Uzun lafın kısası, büyük keyifle okuduğum bir roman oldu. Herkese tavsiye ederim.

[Marisol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Todo estaba escrito.

Cuando la novela alcanza su tramo final, esta frase retumba en la cabeza de Martín Edén y parece no abandonarlo nunca más.

Existe una extraña ironía que vuelca la historia hacia un camino incierto donde la oscuridad va adueñándose de cada palmo de espacio, ya no existen palabras que puedan interesar, o distraer el pensamiento, cualquier pequeña luz es sofocada por otra frase que se instala en lo más profundo del ser.

Le dolía la vida.


Todo este derrumbamiento, desmoronamiento, caída y subsecuente abandono que da cabida al desdén, al descreimiento pero sobre todo al sufrimiento contrastan de manera brutal con quien era nuestro personaje en el mero principio.

Martín Edén un muchacho de casi 21 años, fuerte, guapo, humilde y profundamente ignorante, que ha trabajado toda su vida para sobrevivir, un día cualquiera por azares del destino se encuentra ante la mesa de una familia burguesa compartiendo el pan y la sal, conoce a una joven y queda prendado de ella, pero más allá de un simple enamoramiento, la muchacha representa toda ella un mundo fascinante de saber, conocimiento, perspectiva, pensamiento y discernimiento, y funge como punto de lanzamiento, para que Martín por amor, elija convertirse en un autodidacta feroz, temerario, ávido de conocimientos pero sobre todo ávido de conocer que le podría dar sentido a su vida, elevarse de un estado básico formado por el ciclo de trabajar para comer y comer para trabajar.

Es tanto el impulso, el deseo, la vehemencia, que nos la va contagiando conforme vamos leyendo y conociendo su evolución, todo suena tan auténtico, tan increíble, tan desaforado que nos convencemos que es real, tan real como los días y noches que pasa estudiando, pensando y repitiendo el ciclo, mientras pasa penurias, hambre, frío, hasta que un día Martín renta una máquina y empieza a escribir, a escribir de la misma manera que estudia como poseído, como si la vida fuera mortal, como si tuviéramos las horas y días contados, el escribe como si de ello dependiera su libertad, su sentido y su felicidad.

Toda esta parte la gozamos así como la sufrimos junto a él, somos como admiradores que creen fervientemente en que lo va a lograr, en que será escritor, en que llevará una buena vida, en que se casará……

Pero esas creencias llevan un prejuicio imbuido que apenas notamos, porque pensamos en el futuro, en que logrará, será, podrá, estamos perdiendo la esencia de la actividad, estamos ciegos, somos pobres en juicio y criterio, se nos escapa que Martín es escritor desde su primera hoja escrita, el primer cuento, el primer ensayo, todo va siendo construido por un escritor, esa es la parte demoledora del libro, que lo eleva a lugares que pocos entenderán. Y como nosotros, casi todos los personajes que forman la novela también piensan lo mismo, no hay escritor, sin reconocimiento, sin éxito, sin dinero.

El libro se va construyendo hacia arriba, en un movimiento siempre ascendente, pero cuando parece que dará el impulso final llegando más alto que nunca, nos sorprende con una avalancha colosal que nos arrastra sin remedio, así de manera imprevista como suceden las catástrofes, cuando nos damos cuenta ya todo ha pasado y solo queda rememorar, hacer un recuento de lo acontecido y buscar donde empezó a torcerse el destino.

Martín Edén es más que un personaje es un símbolo de lucha por ser, alguien que grita desde los infiernos, muy fuerte, muy alto, grita sin fin y sin descanso mientras se afana construyéndose a sí mismo, la convicción que lo impulsa es tan fuerte que ni todas las voces que lo increpan logran doblegarlo para convertirse en algo que se parezca más a la construcción social que el mundo demanda.

[Daniel Villines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third Reading: December 2024

With Martin Eden, London creates a virtual life in print, and with such books the ability exists to see different aspects of that life with every reading. I think that my own life at the time of each reading influences what I find strongest in these virtual characters.

This time through, I found Martin Eden's dissolutions with his mentors to be significant. As Martin lifts himself up to achieve level upon level of intellectual mastery, the people that he imagines as being superior are found to be rather ordinary.

In my own life, I find that I am constantly perceiving people in the collective as being smarter than they repeatedly show themselves to be. Sure, there are the kooks and groups of kooks among us, but when looking at the larger population, I thought that we would be better than we have shown ourselves to be. Martin's disappointments reflect my own.

Overall, the book is still amazing. Life is much more than finding disappointment in people and Martin Eden demonstrates this. Martin's experiences with his first love, his pure enjoyment in creating art, and his views on politics all serve to make this novel engaging. I’m looking forward to my next encounter with Martin Eden, the person and the book, and I have no idea of what will strike me hardest in that subsequent experience.

And now a few thoughts about the ending...


Martin Eden kills himself at the end, which in my first two readings left me wondering why. This time through, and due to our present political environment here in the United States, I believe I reached a certain sense of clarity regarding the reason for Martin's suicide. Martin invested his entire being into achieving intellectual prowess. However, when he achieves this almost miraculous goal, he discovers that he is practically alone in society. He has essentially condemned himself to solitary confinement and feels the hopelessness of a society that would forever exist in such a hopeless state. He saw that there was nothing to live for and found solace in the only state of existence that would end the hopelessness.

In the real world, this experience happens more often now than in previous times. Martin would cringe at the platitude "Make America Great Again," as do I. These are words that move the masses and make those that think cringe. It's unfortunate that the masses are indeed the masses and those that think are inconsequential to the present; but it is within our abilities for it to not be so; at least I hope so. Otherwise, Martin's final act may be the only act that will save the thinker's sanity.


---
Second Reading: December 2015

It may have happened like this. Long ago, the creatures that could accept as fact the suggestions of fear were found to outlive and out-reproduce their more scientific brethren. Hence, humans came into being with the ability to believe as fact things unproven or unexplained. We became spiritual beings. We believe in dreams and we imagine what life would be like, if only if.

For any given dream, there is a journey. We set out on a quest towards a vision, but along the way, reality takes its toll. By the time we reach our goal the reality of our dream may in fact be very different from our initial vision. This is what Marti Eden is about: a dream, a journey, and the end of a quest.

Martin Eden makes a statement about London's own dreams and their ultimate value as he achieved his success. According to London in some of his letters that addressed Martin Eden, the only difference in the final fates of London and Eden, was perspective. London was saved by his trust in others. Through this trust he was still able find value in the life he achieved even though it was very different from the life he envisioned.

I have often considered Martin Eden to be one of London's best novels. And the reason for its strength lies in how closely the story parallels London's own life. He wrote what he knew best and because of his truly personal connection to the story, his honesty exceeds his desire to simply lead his readers through a story. The book is filled with emotions and passions that cannot be anything but his own. It is filled with life as he experienced it, and as a consequence, he documents the human conditions that surrounded him nearly a century ago.

---
First Read: January 2005

[Marco Beneventi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Semplicemente uno dei libri più belli, profondi e lucidi che abbia mai letto in vita mia, scritto in modo intenso, accorato, appassionato, con una trama di scrittura meravigliosa che ti rapisce e non ti permette letteralmente di staccarti dalle pagine.
Non riesco davvero a capire come sia possibile che London possa essere stato “declassato” dalla critica a scrittore per ragazzi quando in realtà in questo libro (come anche in molte altre sue produzioni), la prosa proposta risulta così profonda e così elaborata da far gola ad un pubblico decisamente adulto (basti pensare anche solo alla feroce critica all’ipocrisia sociale rispetto al singolo proposta in queste pagine).
Il libro (che altro non è che l’autobiografia dello stesso London mascherata come invenzione di fantasia) racconta il percorso e le vicissitudini di un rude e semplice marinaio della classe proletaria americana (personaggio davvero iconico che merita uno spazio tutto suo nella mente di chi ama la letteratura) deciso a diventare uno scrittore di successo pur avendo letteralmente il mondo intero contro.
Libro davvero emozionante che insegna il significato delle parole “caparbietà” e “volontà” ma che soprattutto offre spunti infiniti di riflessione, una storia che alla fin fine è semplicemente l’avventura di una vita normalissima, della vita di chiunque di noi...amori, gioie, sofferenze, caparbie lotte per essere accettati (letteralmente in tutti i sensi), solitudini fisiche e dell’anima ma anche vittorie e rivalse.
Il tutto scorre via davvero troppo velocemente e alla fine (e il finale è qualcosa di davvero unico), arrivati all’ultima pagina, lascia un grosso vuoto difficile da colmare.
Semplicemente un capolavoro a mio avviso, purtroppo, troppo poco conosciuto.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ci sono grandi autori che, a causa di alcune incomprensioni, non riescono ad occupare il posto che meritano nella storia della letteratura. Jack London rientra tra questi. Io stessa ne ho rimandato la lettura per anni, convinta che fosse un autore minore di racconti d’avventura. Niente di più sbagliato: London è un autore eclettico, che ha prodotto opere di vario tipo, da storie esistenziali, a distopie e romanzi sulla disillusione, come “Martin Eden”.
 
Scritto in un periodo di grandi cambiamenti sociali, in cui gli Stati Uniti completavano il processo di formazione nazionale. “Martin Eden” ha per protagonista un marinaio ingenuo e ignorante che, dopo aver incontrato una giovane borghese studentessa di lettere, decide di studiare per farsi una cultura e poter conquistare la ragazza. Avendo già di suo una mente creativa e una forte curiosità, lo studio lo spinge ad abbandonare il lavoro di marinaio per intraprendere il duro mestiere di scrittore. Dopo anni di sacrifici, arriverà al successo, ma anche al crollo delle illusioni: sulla ragazza amata, sul mondo editoriale e sulla società borghese in generale.
 
Perché leggere “Martin Eden”?
 
Per tantissimi motivi.
Innanzitutto, perché è un romanzo fondamentale nella letteratura del 900, in quanto rovescia lo schema tipico del romanzo di formazione dell’800 e il modello americano basato su ottimismo e lieto fine e apre la strada ad autori successivi, come Fitzgerald - basti pensare al “Grande Gatsby”.
In secondo luogo, perché è un romanzo mondo, che descrive un’epoca in tutti i suoi strati sociali, attraverso ideologie, tipi umani e dinamiche socioculturali.
Poi, perché riflette sul ruolo dell’artista in una società capitalistica - secondo London, l’individualismo è una vecchia divinità, non più realizzabile nel primo ‘900, perché ogni artista finisce inevitabilmente negli ingranaggi del potere, perdendo la creatività - e perché è un romanzo metaletterario che contiene riflessioni su vari metodi di scrittura e sul processo creativo.
 
Ma, soprattutto, va letto perché è una storia veramente intensa, con un protagonista a cui ci si affeziona fin dalla prima pagina e che ci tiene incollati alle pagine, in un continuo alternarsi di speranze e delusioni, fino a un finale potentissimo e struggente.
 
Rimpiango di aver rimandato così a lungo la lettura di London e non vedo l’ora di conoscere meglio l’autore con “Il tallone di ferro” - romanzo spesso definito “parallelo” a “Martin Eden” e, poi, altri testi.