Charmian London facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charmian London
|
|
|---|---|
London in 1905; photo by James E. Purdy
|
|
| Born |
Charmian Kittredge
November 27, 1871 Wilmington, California, U.S.
|
| Died | January 14, 1955 (aged 83) Glen Ellen, California, U.S.
|
| Spouse(s) | |
Charmian London (born Kittredge; November 27, 1871 – January 14, 1955) was an American writer. She was also the second wife of the famous author Jack London. She helped him with his writing and was an adventurous person herself.
Charmian London's Early Life
Charmian Kittredge was born in a small town near Los Angeles. Her parents were Dayelle "Daisy" Wiley and Willard "Kitt" Kittredge.
When Charmian was six, her mother passed away. Her father sent her to live with her aunt and uncle, Netta and Roscoe Eames, in Oakland, California. They raised her as their own child.
Netta, a well-known writer, taught Charmian at home. She learned about literature, art, and how to play the piano. Roscoe taught her important office skills like typing and accounting.
Later, when they moved to Berkeley, California, Charmian met many artists and thinkers. She learned about the Arts and Crafts movement, which influenced her love for beauty. She also attended lectures at the University of California. These lectures taught her about new ideas in literature and philosophy.
Charmian also inherited money from her family. This allowed her to study at Mills College. There, she focused on literature, arts, and philosophy. She also worked as a secretary for the school's co-founder, Susan Tolman Mills.
In the 1890s, Charmian worked for a shipping company in San Francisco. This was unusual for women at that time. She also learned photography and had some of her pictures published. Charmian loved horseback riding. She even designed a special "split skirt" so she could ride with both legs on either side of the horse. Most women rode sidesaddle back then.
In 1897, she went on a three-day horseback trip to Yosemite. She joined a group of famous scientists and leaders. In 1901, she traveled to Europe. This trip helped her appreciate art and music even more.
Marriage to Jack London and Writing Career
Charmian met Jack London in March 1900. Her aunt, Netta Eames, was writing an article about Jack London. Charmian was working for a large shipping company at the time.
Jack London was five years younger than Charmian. He was impressed by her knowledge of books and her support for Socialism. They often met to talk about literature.
A month later, Jack London married Elizabeth "Bess" Maddern. They had two children together.
During this time, Charmian started her own writing career. She wrote non-fiction essays. One essay encouraged women to stop riding sidesaddle. She also joined Jack's group of artist friends called "The Crowd."
In 1903, Jack London and his family were staying at a resort in Glen Ellen, California. Jack was injured in an accident. Bess asked Charmian, who lived nearby, to check on him. This led to a secret relationship between Charmian and Jack.
Jack and Charmian married in Chicago on November 19, 1905. For their honeymoon, Charmian supported Jack as he gave talks about Socialism. They also visited Jamaica and Cuba. Charmian took many photos of the island landscapes.
The couple settled in Glen Ellen. They planned to buy land on Sonoma Mountain to start a ranch. After reading a book about sailing around the world, they decided to try it themselves. They sailed on a boat called the Snark. Their trip only went as far as Australia. However, it gave both of them ideas for books.
Charmian published articles for Mid-Pacific Magazine. She also wrote The Log of the Snark (1915) and Our Hawaii (1917). Reviewers liked The Log of the Snark. They said it was "clever, conversational, and humorous." Our Hawaii talked about how much the island changed between 1907 and 1916. Charmian was sad about the changes caused by tourism.
Charmian also helped Jack London with his books. She was the inspiration for many of his characters. For example, Saxon in The Valley of the Moon was based on her.
Recent studies show that Charmian helped write many of Jack's books. This includes The Valley of the Moon and The Mutiny of Elsinore. She was not just his typist; she was also his editor. She would remove parts that didn't fit his ideas. She also suggested changes to how the books were organized. She even wrote some parts herself, especially descriptions. Her diaries and original manuscripts show how much she was involved.
Charmian was also very active on their ranch, called the Beauty Ranch. The goal of the ranch was to grow their own food. Charmian was especially interested in animal husbandry, which means raising animals. She helped choose animals for breeding. She was known for having a good eye, especially for horses. The couple won top awards for their animals at the California State Fair.
Life After Jack London
Jack London passed away in 1916. He left almost everything he owned to Charmian. Charmian and Jack did not have any children who survived. A daughter named Joy died shortly after birth. Several other pregnancies ended in miscarriage.
After Jack's death, Charmian worked with Jack's stepsister, Eliza Shepard. They worked to save their home, the Beauty Ranch. Charmian also sold the rights for Jack's stories to be made into movies.
She wrote introductions for Jack's books that were published after he died. One of these was Dutch Courage and Other Stories (1922). She also finished his unfinished novel Cherry for Cosmopolitan magazine.
One of Charmian's most important jobs was to make sure Jack's books were known worldwide. She traveled to other countries to arrange good translations. She also protected the copyrights of his works. Because of her efforts, his books became famous all over the world.
To promote Jack London's name, Charmian published The Book of Jack London in two volumes (1921). This book is an important source of information about Jack's life. However, some parts might not be completely accurate.
Charmian also wrote her own non-fiction books. Her main topics were travel, protecting animals, and prisoner rights. Her book Our Hawaii: Islands and Islanders was an updated version of her earlier work. It included more of Jack's ideas and praised the original island culture.
Charmian knew that her book about Jack London wasn't perfect. So, she looked for an experienced writer to create a full study of his life. In 1935, she invited Irving Stone to the ranch. She wanted him to study Jack's letters and documents. However, she found out he was looking at her private diaries and love letters. Charmian then asked him to leave the ranch.
Stone's book, Sailor on Horseback, received criticism. Reviewers said he used parts of London's fiction as if they were facts. Charmian and Eliza Shepard were shocked when the book claimed Jack had taken his own life. The publishers later changed the subtitle to A Biographical Novel.
In response to Stone's book, Charmian supported Jack's stepdaughter, Joan London. Joan wrote Jack London and His Times. This book focused on her father's Socialist writings and activities. Charmian also arranged for a movie to be made based on her biography. The movie Jack London came out in 1943. Michael O'Shea played Jack, and Susan Hayward played Charmian.
Charmian suffered from high blood pressure for a long time. By 1947, she was often in bed after having several strokes. She passed away in 1955, at the age of 83. Her ashes are buried next to Jack's under a rock. Their grave is near Glen Ellen, California, at Jack London State Historic Park.
|
