Cover of Martin Eden by Jack London Audiobook Martin Eden
Audiobook · Urban Romantics

Martin Eden

Author
Jack London
Read by
Eloise Fairfax
Language
English
Length
13 hours 16 minutes
ISBN
9781802563191
Published
13 February 2025
Imprint
Urban Romantics
  • ambition
  • self-education
  • class struggle
  • disillusionment
  • individualism
  • love
  • alienation
  • success
  • existential despair
  • societal values

Description

Martin Eden by Jack London is the story of a self-taught sailor turned writer who rises from poverty to literary fame. Martin Eden, a working-class dreamer, falls in love with Ruth Morse, an upper-class woman whose family initially rejects him. Driven by ambition and passion, he educates himself voraciously, transforming into a skilled writer. As his works gain recognition, Martin grapples with alienation, disillusionment, and the emptiness of success. While Ruth embraces his achievements, their class differences and evolving values drive them apart. Ultimately, Martin’s existential despair leads to a tragic conclusion, reflecting London’s exploration of ambition, individualism, and the cost of pursuing one's dreams.

Author

Jack London (1876–1916) wrote as if survival itself were a form of literature. Born in San Francisco, he worked as a sailor, oyster pirate, and Klondike prospector before becoming one of America's first celebrity novelists — a man who earned a fortune from magazines and never stopped arguing about class, nature, and power. The Call of the Wild and White Fang made the wilderness think: dogs with inner lives, men reduced to hunger and will.

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