Love of Life

Very, very close. The rescue camp, where he will find food and rest, is only a few days’ journey away. And after that, a ship to the Old Continent. But to get there, he must endure days of travel through cold and barren lands. The man steps awkwardly in the stream and sprains his ankle, falling with the load on his back. But his companion abandons him and keeps going, ever onward. The man is exhausted, hungry, weak, and injured. He feels excruciating pain in his stomach from hunger and searches for roots and tubers to stave off his hunger, but they contain no calories… Day after day, exhaustion brings him closer to collapse, but something keeps giving him the strength to fight for his life. He doesn’t give up even when he finds the bones of his companion, gnawed on by a pack of wolves somewhere along the way… But he is not alone. A sick and weak wolf follows close behind him in the same condition, hoping to feed on him… The end is near, but whose end?

„Love of Life“ is a collection of short stories by the renowned Jack London. In them, the power of the human spirit is vividly and uniquely portrayed. Free and strong men who struggle to overcome insurmountable obstacles on the brink of exhaustion and against nature. The primary virtues of all the characters are honesty, bravery, self-sacrifice, friendship, and loyalty. But no one is stronger than nature…

Details: American, second edition / short stories, adventure / paperback / 13 x 20 cm / 236 pages / year of publication: 2026