Jack London, The Night-Born

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Early in “the unluckiest year of his life” (1913), during which his dream home in California’s Sonoma Valley burnt down, Jack London, aged thirty-seven, published the short-story collection

The Night-Born

(Labor, 329). The ten tales in it range from negligible potboilers to such gems as the evocative sketch of a soldier’s life “War”, and the suspenseful fight story “The Mexican”, set during the Mexican Revolution (c. 1910–1920) and embodying London’s “finest allegory of the revolutionary spirit” (Labor, Leitz, Shepard, xxix).

“War” takes place in an unidentified country. Its protagonist is an unnamed young cavalryman tasked with tracking down enemy scouts. Riding on a hot, breathless, pollen-laden day, he is “So tensely . . . strung” and watchful that he

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Citation: Fachard, Alexandre. "The Night-Born". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 June 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35828, accessed 28 March 2024.]

35828 The Night-Born 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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