London, Jack: - John Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London (12 January 1876-22 November 1916), was an American author who pioneered the art of commercial fiction, which made him a prominent figure of the international literary arena. As a part of the radical literary group, 'The Crowd, ' London projected his socialist ideas through his works. Known as a rebel in his teens, London also spent 30 days in jail for vagrancy. The experience of imprisonment motivated him to attend college to become a writer.