Сказания о Кише

by Jack London, Джек Лондон

This story recounts the legend of Keesh, an Eskimo boy who used "brains not brawn" to defeat a powerful polar bear and save his people from starvation.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Short Stories

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1904

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

[Praveen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Keesh, who lived long ago on the rim of the polar sea. Because he exercised head craft and not witchcraft, he rose from the meanest igloo to be the headman of his village, and through all the years he lived, his tribe was prosperous, and neither widow nor weak one cried aloud in the night because there was no meat.

A revivifying tale from Jack London!

Good one before going to bed!

[Mustafa Alsinan · Rating 4 out of 5]

لا تحتار مع جاك لندن .
قصصه القصيرة أغلبها تشدك بأجوائها البسيطة. أحب مكان قصصه
التي دائما مرتبطة بالبرية.

[حسام · Rating 3 out of 5]

العقل هو من جعل الانسان سيد علي الكائنات ودائما ما كان هناك بشر يفكرون بطريقة مختلفة ويقدمون حلول مبتكرة وبسيطة غائبة عن الكل ...
قصة جميلة عن الابتكار والعدالة واليتم والحياة القاسية ...

[Mahmoud Moftah · Rating 3 out of 5]

للمره الأولى أجد في أحد أعمال "جاك لندن" ما تتم روايته كـ قصه لها أحداث وتفاصيل .. أظنها جائت متأخره بعد العديد من محاولاته السابقه حيث يظهر هنا شئ من النضج ويتضح أيضاً أن عمله في الشرطه البحريه وكقبطان سفينه قد أمده بمعلومات لا بأس بها عن المناطق القطبيه خصوصاً معرفته بأن هناك أماكن لا تزورها الشمس يومياً وإنما على فترات متباعده

[روروش · Rating 3 out of 5]

" و هذه هي حكاية كيش الذي عاش منذ أمد بعيد على ضفة البحر القطبي . و كان إعماله العقل و ليس السحر سبباً في ارتقائه من أشد الأكواخ الجليدية وضاعة ليصبح زعيماً في قريته ، و يحكى أنه طوال السنوات التي عاشها . شهدت قبيلته حالة من الرخاء ، و لم تصرخ أرملة و لا ضعيف في الليل لعدم وجود لحم "

جاك لندن

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may really have been witchcraft, since the root witch could very well be "wise".

[Rajaa Drihmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

قصة قصيرة وجميلة عن الانسان و نعمة العقل

[Eileen]

Of the Jack London short stories I have read so far this one seems the most appropriate for a younger audience. A boy stands up to the leaders in his camp because he and his mother no longer receive a fair share of good meat from the hunt. His father was a renouned hunter but was killed by a polar bear. The boy develops his own way to kill bears by wraping whale bone in blubber and feeding it to the bears leading them to be injured and weakened by the undigestible bone until they're easier for him to kill. He gains in stature among his people and uses his status to get fairer distribution for all. He's accused of witchcraft by the leaders but explains how 'headcraft' led to his success.

cw: This is still an outsider writing about others' cultures. There's some sexism written into this story because of the division of labor and attitude about whose contributions are valued. The way the story speaks to youth being capable and wanting to be taken seriously balances in favor of including this 'classic' in the curriculum.

[elio · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this for school- also a really interesting story about the importance of listening to a child’s opinion. we may as well put value to their ideas rather than dismissing them not knowing that their opinions are important in improving the lives of a greater community.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was interesting

[Bayan Abid]

18.12.2020

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A manly legend of a native man.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather unremarkable story that gives some insight into the Igloo life with the theme being a rational head leading over those more swayed by magical absurdities.

[رنا مُحسن · Rating 4 out of 5]

It be headcraft, not witchcraft 🤸🏾!

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I have read Jack London before, I decided to read this "quicky" for a change of pace. It did not disappoint me.

[Zero · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boy who is neglected by the tribe goes off on his own to hunt.