The Call of the Wild, Jack London

The Call of the Wild is a short adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck.

The story opens at a ranch in Santa Clara Valley, California, when Buck is stolen from his home and sold into service as a sled dog in Alaska.

He becomes progressively feral in the harsh environment, where he is forced to fight to survive and dominate other dogs. By the end, he sheds the veneer of civilization, and relies on primordial instinct and learned experience to emerge as a leader in the wild.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه ژانویه سال 1970میلادی

عنوان: آوای وحش؛ نویسنده: جک لندن؛ مترجم: پرویز داریوش؛ تهران، صفیعلیشاه، 1334؛ 148ص؛ چاپ سوم تهران، فرانکلین، 1352؛ در 163ص؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، اساطیر، 1366، در 148ص؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، امیرکبیر، 1380، در 200ص؛ شابک 9643030423؛ چاپ بعدی 1384؛ چاپ هفتم 1387؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، علمی فرهنگی؛ 1383، در 120ص، شابک 9786001211584؛ چاپ دیگر 1389؛ 1394 در 159ص؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م

عنوان: آوای وحش؛ نویسنده: جک لندن؛ مترجم: م. فرخزاد نراقی؛ تهران، کتابفروشی ایمنی، چاپ دوم 1348؛ در 212ص؛ چاپ دیگر اصفهان، کتابفروشی نیما، در 212ص؛

مترجمهای دیگر: خانمها و آقایان: «ام‍ی‍ر اس‍م‍اع‍ی‍ل‍ی، در 1363، در 89ص، چاپ چهارم 1369، توسن 1368؛»؛ «خ‍س‍رو ش‍ای‍س‍ت‍ه، سپیده، 1364، در 119ص، چاپ چهارم 1370، چاپ هفتم 1377»؛ «علی‌اکبر داودی‌پور، 1398، در 96ص»؛ «فری‍ده‌ م‍ح‍م‍دی، 1371، در 95ص»؛ «ث‍ری‍ا ن‍ظم‍ی، 1364، در 170ص»؛ «م‍ژگ‍ان‌ ح‍ائ‍ری، نهال نویدان، 1374، در 160ص؛ چاپ پنجم 1397»؛ «ع‍ل‍ی‌ ف‍اطم‍ی‍ان‌، وزارت فرهنگ، 1379، در 239ص»؛ «اح‍م‍د ق‍ل‍ی‌زاده‌‌م‍ق‍دم‌، دبیر اکباتان، 1388، در 87ص، چاپ سوم 1388»؛ «ح‍ب‍ی‍ب‌ا... آت‍ش‍ی، اصفهان، جنگل، 1382، در 96ص»؛ «ص‍دی‍ق‍ه‌ اب‍راه‍ی‍م‍ی‌ (ف‍خ‍ار)، پنجره، 1383، در104ص»؛ «حسن زمانی، همشهری، 1391، در 55ص»؛ «غلامحسين اعرابی٬ فخرنور رزاق‌پرست، نشر بهنود، 1398، در 89ص»؛ «پروین ادیب، نگاه ترجمه و نشر کتاب پارسه‏، 1395، در 236ص، چاپ دوم 1397»؛ «امين شكارچيان، نشر اسحق، 1396، در 84ص»؛ «هوشنگ اسدی، ثالث، 1396، در 136ص،»؛ « آرزو علیزاده، پر، 1396، 128ص، باران خرد، 1396، در 148ص، آسو، 1396، در 116ص، قم، پدیده دانش، 1396؛ در 127ص، زنجان هلال نقره ای، 1396، در 127ص»؛ «شیما محمدی، پنگوئن، 1396، در 132ص»؛ «فهیمه ممبینی، مشهد، آفتاب طوس، 1398، در 224ص»؛ «علیرضا سربندی‌فراهانی، تهران، ایجاز، 1398، در 111ص»؛ «سارا فیضی، گوهر اندیشه، 1398؛ در 168ص»؛ «محدثه زردکانلو، قزوین: سایه گستر، 1399، در 72ص»؛ «کیومرث پارسای، در چلچله، 1395، در 126ص؛ چاپ چهارم 1397؛»؛ «بهار اشراق، قدیانی، 1393، در 147ص»؛ «حسین مولوی‌اسکویی، قافی، 1397، در 64ص»؛ «مریم نفیسی‌راد، کرج، شانی، 1398، در 174ص؛»؛ «فاطمه نظرآهاری، تهران: گوهر اندیشه، 1397، در 248ص»؛ «امین دادور، آریا نگار، 1396، در 61ص؛»؛ «افرا خاکزاد، نودا، 1398، در 74ص»؛ «مهدی غبرائی، ناژ، 1392، در 110ص»؛ «محمدصادق شریعتی، گویش نو، 1396، در 79ص»؛ «سوسن اردکانی، قم، نظاره، 1396، در 224ص»؛ و متنهای کوتاه شده بسیار دیگر

نسخه اصلی این رمان در سال 1903میلادی منتشر شد، و ترجمه های بسیاری از این کتاب به فارسی چاپ و نشر شده است؛ «جک لندن» در این رمان داستان «باک»، سگ اهلی و محبوب یک قاضی را، تصویر می‌کند، که در پی ماجراهایی، سر از محیط خشن، و بی‌رحم «کلوندایک»، در روزگار هجوم جویندگان طلا، به ایالت «یوکان»، درمی‌آورد؛ این رمان تأثیرگذارترین رمان «جک لندن» به شمار می‌رود؛ «باک» سگی است، که از محیط انسان‌ها، به دنیای وحش می‌رود؛ «جک لندن» در رمان دیگر خود «سپید دندان»، داستان «سگ-گرگی» را حکایت می‌کند، که از میان گله ی «گرگها» به جهان انسان‌ها وارد می‌شود؛ این دو رمان را «رمان‌های سگی» «جک لندن» خوانده‌ اند؛ «آوای وحش» نخستین بار با ترجمه جناب «پرویز داریوش» به فارسی برگردان شده است

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 31/05/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

Although I read The Call of the Wild and White Fang separately, I reviewed them together, because I felt that they're closely related novels that need to be discussed in comparison/contrast with each other. That review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... .

The Call of the Wild is one of those books that everyone should read. It taught me empathy as a child and now, years later, I can still enjoy it and learn lessons from it.

Buck goes from pampered pooch to wild thing, and his courage and determination are an inspiration for all of us. The themes of death, survival, and cruelty are prevalent throughout the book, but it's still an amazing story!

“With the aurora borealis flaming coldly overhead, or the stars leaping in the frost dance, the land numb and frozen under its pall of snow, this song of the huskies might have been the defiance of life, only it was pitched in minor key, with long-drawn wailings and half-sobs, and was more the pleading of life, the articulate travail of existence. It was an old song, old as the breed itself—one of the first songs of the younger world in a day when songs were sad.”

A hero on a unique hero’s journey—from tamed to wild--is the glorious Buck. He is half St. Bernard and half Scotch Shepherd. (I love this history I read online of the Scotch Shepherd breed: “They were originally derived from a mixture of Roman Cattle Dogs, Native Celtic Dogs and Viking Herding Spitzes.” Wow.)

Dogs are my favorite sentient being (far above humans), but thrilling adventures aren’t my typical fare, and the savagery of nature tends to make me uncomfortable. So the first half of this was a little difficult for me and I had to take it in small bites. But intensity, now that is my thing, and by the middle I was riveted--senses on alert. London’s writing does that to a person.

“He was sounding the deeps of his nature, and the parts of his nature that were deeper than he, going back into the womb of Time. He was mastered by the sheer surging of his life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew and that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars and over the face of dead matter that did not move.”

This is more than a dog story, more than a children’s story, more than high adventure. It’s a story of instincts and survival and the mystery of our heritage. After all, we are all animals. Buck may be closer to his ancestral wildness, but it is buried deep in us as well and if you read closely, you can’t help but feel a resonance with that wildness.

n  "During the four years since his puppyhood he had lived the life of a sated aristocrat; he had a fine pride in himself, was ever a trifle egotistical...but he had saved himself by not becoming a mere pampered house dog. Hunting and kindred outdoor delights had kept down the fat and hardened his muscles; and to him, as to the cold-tubbing races, the love of water had been a tonic and a health preserver."n

This story about Buck, the half St Bernard half Scotch shepherd dog, is brilliantly written. Buck's life is all comfort and ease until the day he is unceremoniously removed and forced to work as a sledge dog. Then follow grueling, long days as the dogs are toughened up by the conditions and as they fight and jostle for supremacy. This, Buck can handle as he learns to thrive, becoming leader of the pack. What he can't handle; incompetence in human masters who are meant to be in control. And, always lurking somewhere not far away is the call of the wild....

London has somehow managed to get inside the mind and heart of this beautiful creature and has crafted a heart wrenching narrative about the survival of the fittest as the dogs learn that they must "kill or be killed." The reader is drawn to Buck as a companion but remains at a safe distance. The nearest comparison would be Aslan in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. He is definitely not safe, but he's good. Although, Buck is better known for his unwavering loyalty rather than any goodness. He is a wild animal and behaves like one with glimpses of his softer side rarely allowed to be witnessed. It is only through reading of Buck's emotions through the pen of the author that we find there are feelings as outwardly he is tough and fearless.

The themes of hard work, good discipline and self sacrifice are prominent in this novel; Buck respects those who practice them and is inspired to do a better job as a member of the team. When things are chaotic and disorganised, motivation disappears and the animals cannot function effectively. When they are pampered and given too much food they become complacent, lazy and their bodies cannot adapt quickly enough to the tough conditions later on.

These principles are also laid down by God in the Bible which states that if a man does not work he should not eat! If leaders are disorganised or squabble among themselves the whole team flounders. We should submit to those in authority as God has put them there. We can see these themes most prominently in the difference between countries that are materially rich and those that are poor. The poor are satisfied with much less and can survive much harsher conditions as they have adapted. The rich, meanwhile, complain about the slightest inconvenience and wouldn't last for five minutes if stripped of their luxuries....

There is a lot of blood, gore and death of both humans and animals in this book which may upset some readers, there are a few instances of God's name being used as an exclamation rather than a prayer, there is no sexual content. The cover says it is for those aged 10+. I would add a few years to that depending on the child.

I loved this magnificent adventure story.

جک لندنِ بیست و یک ساله در زمان نوشتن این کتاب آن چنان هم "بیست ساله" نبوده. بیست ساله های ذهن ما احتمالا
قاچاقچی صدف و دزد دریایی نبودند
ملوان ماهری نبودند که اقیانوس آرام رو دریانوردی کرده
دزد و گدا و بی خانمان حرفه ای نبودند
شیفت های کشنده در کارخانه ی کنسرو سازی کار نکردند
به زندان نرفتند

و این مورد آخر رو که دیگه هرگز ندارند
تصمیم نگرفتند که در تب طلای ١٩٨۶، کمی پول و غذا و لباس گرم و بیل و کتاب های داروین و میلتون رو بردارند و راهی شمالی ترین نقاط این کره بشن

تصورش می کنم که در حالی که بار سنگینش رو مایل ها روی دوش می کشیده و صورت و ویسکی اش یخ زده بوده، ایده های داروین در ذهنش چه آتشی به پا کرده بوده. مردی که با صدها نفر راهی مسیری میشه که قربانی طبیعت خشن میشن و فقط قوی ترها زنده می مونند

چنین ذهنی "باک" سگ هاسکی ای رو آفریده که از زندگی اهلی و آرام‌ اش به این محیط وحشی میاد و باید به غریزه هاش برگرده تا زنده بمونه. باید بجنگه و بکشه و غذا بدزده تا دوام بیاره

جک لندن شاید هیچوقت داستان کاملی از این ماجراجویی عجیب ننوشته، ولی به نظرم فقط می تونسته افکار و احساساتش در اون سفر رو بدون خود سانسوری از دیدگاه یک سگ بیان کنه. وقتی سال ها بعد ٣٠ روزه این کتاب رو می نویسه، حتما نوشتن از سگی که آوای وحش رو می شنوه و به حقیقت وجودش برمیگرده، حقیقتی که وحشی و خشن ولی آزاده، آسان تر از این بوده که بخواد در قالب داستانی انسانی نوشته بشه

99.3.1

Walking around the rooms of my memories, often I find forgotten libraries of where I spent time as a kid. This book was in one of those rooms, and one of the shelves. Call of the Wild. I do not remember when I read it, and I barely remember what it was about -- dogs, the far north, cold, a distant time -- but I remember that it was a book that lead me into the world of written words and the warmth of a great story. A five star for the memory...

2022 Favourite ❤️
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”Never was there such a dog”…

The last time I remember reading this book I was 10 years old and in the 5th grade. After revisiting The Call of the Wild nearly 40 years later, I’m surprised that it was required reading. I didn’t like it then but remember that the boys favored it more than the girls. I don’t think I was quite old enough or mature enough (that’s me, not all 10 year olds necessarily) to grasp the concepts and appreciate the progress of it’s main character. This is not a happy, feel good sort of story about a dog that is treated well. London takes on some hefty themes for such a short novel. He takes on the ideas of kill or be killed, civilized vs uncivilized (in the natural world and the world of humans and beasts), suffering and persevering, pride and defeat as well as violence.

Buck, a part St. Bernard and shepherd mix and a comfortable king of his California domain, is suddenly stolen from his old cushy life and sold into a new world to the Arctic as a sled dog. In the Klondike where the frenzy of the gold rush is alive, Buck very quickly realizes that he must adapt in order to survive in the harsh, snowy conditions and in the new climate of cruelty and starvation.

He had been suddenly jerked from the heart of civilization and flung into the heart of things primordial.

Buck’s journey north and throughout the Arctic is adventurous yet so very cruel. He begins a transformation of not just his muscles but of his mind. Rather than a change towards civility, he is un-civilized, in a sense, and taken to a place within himself that was always there, that primordial or primitive state he’d never experienced until now. His wild, instinctual nature is necessary in this new environment in order for him to survive. London shows Buck’s progression slowly but skillfully through his precise prose even though it’s very difficult to read at times.

And not only did he learn by experience, but instincts long dead became alive again.

There are some very violent and harsh scenes regarding the treatment of the animals. For the most part, the human and dog relationship is controlled starkly by the humans. Finally, we see a reciprocal loving and respectful relationship between man and beast when John Thornton bonds with Buck. But love that was feverish and burning, that was adoration, that was madness, it had taken John Thornton to arouse. This last third of the book is the most rewarding yet sad but worth the trip to get to the place that Buck has been heading all along. The call was sounding in Buck’s ears and soul and he wanted to heed it in order to finally be the dog he always was deep within.

His cunning was wolf cunning, and wild cunning; his intelligence, shepherd intelligence and St. Bernard intelligence; and all this plus an experience gained in the fiercest of schools, made him as formidable a creature as any that roamed the wild.

sleep seems like an incredibly stimulating activity compared to reading this book

Buck is just a regular dog who enjoys the company of his master the Judge and his other dogs. When Buck is unfortunately dognapped by the Judge's gardener and sold to a man in a red sweater, Buck's life is turned upside down. He is forced to become a sled dog and must learn to survive in the wilderness of the Alaskan klondike. Will Buck survive? Read on and find out.

This was a pretty good/sad read and my first ever read by author Jack London. I enjoyed this tale about an animal trying to survive and find freedom from its human captors. This book will tear at your heart-strings and make you want to read more. I also enjoyed the illustrations in this edition too. If you like animal stories and classic books, definitely give The Call of the Wild a check out for yourself. This book can be found at your local library and wherever books are sold.

As a general rule, I avoid books where the author has used an animal as a narrator. It usually doesn't work for me, but I realized within one page of this book that the "dogs" are a running metaphor and you can easily exchange humans for canines and get the same point.

This is an interesting, almost fascinating, examination of violence, and what better time to have that conversation provoked than now? Or always?

Instead of some of the unlikely books my son is currently being required to read in high school, I'd love to see a book like this on the list. I mean, how many high school juniors relate to Macbeth? Doesn't it make more sense that they instead read a book about pack mentality? A book that addresses their occasional, yet uncomfortable cravings for violence?

This book was written at the very beginning of the 1900s, and yet, it feels surprisingly current. Other than some dated language, like referring to people, not dogs, as "half-breeds" and the man whose black dog is named "Nig" (charming), the wild setting of the Yukon Territories could potentially be everything today that it was then, if you decided to set out right now on a dog sled.

I think this would make an excellent discussion book, both for high school classrooms and book clubs. Many of these images will stay with me for years to come.