In a Far Country

by Jack London

John Griffith Chaney was born on January 12th, 1876 in San Francisco. His father, William Chaney, was living with Flora Wellman when she became pregnant. Chaney insisted she have an abortion. Flora's response was to turn a gun on herself. Although her wounds were not severe the trauma made her temporarily deranged. In late 1876 his mother married John London and the young child was brought to live with them as they moved around the Bay area, eventually settling in Oakland where Jack completed grade school. Jack also worked hard at several jobs, sometimes 12-18 hours a day, but his dream was university. He was lent money for that and after intense studying enrolled in the summer of 1896 at the University of California in Berkeley. In 1897, at 21, Jack searched out newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and for the name of his biological father. He wrote to Chaney, then living in Chicago who claimed he could not be Jack’s father because he was impotent; and casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men. Jack, devastated by the response, quit Berkeley and went to the Klondike. Other accounts suggest that his dire finances presented Jack with the excuse he needed to leave. In the Klondike Jack began to gather materials for his writing but also began to accumulate several health problems, including scurvy, hip and leg problems he would then carry for the rest of his life. By the late 1890's Jack was regularly publishing short stories and, by the turn of the century, full blown novels. By 1904 Jack had married, fathered two children and was now in the process of divorcing. A stint as a reporter on the Russian-Japanese war of 1904 was equal amounts trouble and experience. But that experience was always put to good use in a continuing and remarkable output of work. In 1905 he married Charmian Kettridge, who at last was a soul and companion who brought him some semblance of peace despite his advancing alcoholism and his incurable wanderlust. Twelve years later Jack had amassed a wealth both wealth and a literary reputation through such classics as ‘The Call of the Wild’ and ‘White Fang’ and many others. He had a reputation as a social activist and a tireless friend of the workers. Jack London died suffering from dysentery, late-stage alcoholism and uremia, aged only 40, on November 22nd 1916 at his property in Glen Ellen, California.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Adventure, Audiobook, Horror, Literature

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1899

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

[Federico DN · Rating 4 out of 5]

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★★★★☆ Too Much Gold and Other Stories
★★★☆☆ El hombre de la cicatriz y otras narraciones <--

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[Benjamin Uke · Rating 3 out of 5]

"WHEN a man journeys into a far country, he must be prepared to forget many of the
things he has learned, and to acquire such customs as are inherent with existence in the
new land"

Two men, wealthy entitled and unprepared, hole up in an abandoned Arctic cabin together for the winter, suffer from scurvy, frostbite and slowly drive each other insane and kill each other.Reminds me of some camping trips I went on with friends when they were unprepared. Several minor scenes and elements in London's tale echo incidents in Conrads "heart of darkness", but stylistically and thematically they are entirely different.

3/5

There are people who complain that it morbid and had dated terms, this feels like the writer wanted to subvert the classic "adventure in the wilderness" genre like with Robinson Crusoe. Interesting, but I wouldn't go out of my way to read it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Available online here.

Opening lines:
WHEN a man journeys into a far country, he must be prepared to forget many of the things he has learned, and to acquire such customs as are inherent with existence in the new land; he must abandon the old ideals and the old gods, and oftentimes he must reverse the very codes by which his conduct has hitherto been shaped.

[Bells · Rating 5 out of 5]

They fucked around and they found out

[Caterina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Severek dinlediğim Jack London klasiği, sevda altına dair olunca düşülen yollar, yol uzun olunca yaşanan fikir ayrılıkları, kimileri çok çalışırken kimilerinin tembelliği...

Yazarın tabiriyle filotilla yola devam ederken arkada kalan iki kişi ve uzun kış gecelerinin onları delirtirken yaşadıkları...

Keyifliydi...

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has the same basic shape as the book of Judges. Gruesome, but well written with deep metaphors.

[Reid Craft · Rating 3 out of 5]

What’s to say about Jack London that you don’t already know? The North is cold and we’re all gonna die

Still love him though

[megean · Rating 3 out of 5]

gory and graphic and I enjoyed every bit of it. could have dealt without the word “half breed” but this was published years ago….

[Lou Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting array of short stories. Nothing too memorable but good for a long train journey.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I literally just read in a far country but cant be bothered to look for the story on its own on here. Anyway, good, rather satirical ending to two really annoying characters. But it’s a good read

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and poetic tale of strength, adaptability and comradeship.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Story 'In a Far Country' culled from:
Gatenby, Greg (1993). The Wild is Always There: Canada Through the Eyes of Foreign Writers. Canada: A. A. Knopf.

[ROBERT A MCINNES]

cold

[Marco De La O · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack London's "In a Far Country" is a captivating tale of adventure set in the harsh Yukon landscape, featuring vivid descriptions and themes of survival. While the atmosphere immerses the reader, the pacing can be uneven, and some characters feel underdeveloped, which limits emotional depth. Overall, it’s an engaging read that captures the spirit of exploration.

[Eileen]

cw: uses the term 'half-breed' to refer to a person, two shirkers share a cabin in the cold north and suffer from scurvy, frostbite and their lack of preparation. It's scary and doesn't teach how to do anything, not one I'd select for kids.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of these stories were excellent. Great collection.

[Ray LaManna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written but very scary short story by Jack London.

[Lars Bundgaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only the short story "In a Far Country" itself, not the collection.

[Prisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

RIP Jack you would've loved Total Drama Island

[Carielyn Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

wow the first jack london story i didn't love. my favorite quotes were:
"and a great wonder sprang up in the breast of each as to how god had ever come to create the other"
and

[chiara_librofilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un racconto che parla di coraggio, di fedeltà assoluta, di eterna lotta fra gli elementi naturali e le sue leggi o meglio, dell'eterno scontro fra uomo e natura e Jack London lo fa nel suo solito stile, con estremo coraggio e senza fare sconti.
In questo racconto breve è narrata la storia di un uomo che abbandona tutto per recarsi in un paese lontano, dimenticando ciò che ha appreso sino a quel momento, le sue abitudini e la sua condotta ed è già consapevole che dovrà ricominciare tutto da capo, fidandosi di sé stesso e della propria indole altrimenti sarà costretto a soccombere sotto la pressione e sotto l'irritazione dettata dai nuovi cambiamenti.
Questa è la storia di uomo di nomen Carter Weatherbee che abbandona sua moglie, la sua famiglia e il suo posto da contabile per reinventarsi cercatore d'oro, perché ha voglia di nuovi stimoli e di nuove avventure e sa già che ad attenderlo troverà: i rivali, il gelo e il sacrificio.

[Charles Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack London is a treat to read, again. It has been too long since I've enjoyed his view and descriptions of the world. Before I ever read Call of the Wild I read a collection of short stories and I was hooked. Along with Robert Service, London just has this amazing way to talk about men and the North. Call me a romantic but the Klondike must have been quite a place in its time.

Better yet, is, of course, London's stories from the west and Mexico. He saw a lot of change and lots of people. He paid attention to what he saw and he paid attention to what he said.

Collections have recently become a way for me to gather an idea of what makes the author tick. Two others recently have Jim Butcher and Ian Rankin. I like the variety of stories. I like the varied attempts by them to try out new ideas and stories lines.

This copy of London is from our public library, by the way.

[Shirley Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it from the beginning to the end. Every short story was thrilling and hard to put down. I especially like "Mountain Meadows Massacre," but each one was great. I especially like the line in "All Gold Canyon" which reads, "Ideas chased across his face like wind-flaws across the surface of a lake." Isn't that beautiful writing?!!

[Mehmet]

Bu, London'un okuduğum ikinci kitabı oldu. Daha önce Martin Eden'i okumuştum ve başucuma koymuştum. Bu öykü kitabı da tıpkı onun gibi ustaca yazılmış bir eser. Satırların arasında uzak adaların fırtınaları esiyor. Kahramanlarıyla birlikte hayatta kalmaya çalışıyor, tekne kullanıyoruz, dalgalarla boğuşuyor; susuzluktan kurtulmak için Hindistan cevizi arıyoruz.

[Arianna Desogus · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Viveva […] schiacciato dal sentimento della propria insignificanza, annientato dalla massiccia dominazione dei millenni addormentati. La grandiosità di tutte le cose lo atterriva. Tutto era solenne, tranne lui stesso: la perfetta cessazione del vento e del moto, l’immensità del wilderness coperto di neve, l’altezza sublime del cielo e le profondità sconfinate del silenzio.”

[Jeff Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems familiar.
Concrete writing. Simple.

[Johnathan Savard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful short story by London, it especially hits home on my first trip to the NWT.