The Call of the Wild

Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

BBC Radio 4 FM

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London: Episode 3

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London

Episode 3

BBC Radio 4 - The Call of the Wild, by Jack London, Episode 3

There is war between Spitz, the lead dog and Buck - unsettling the whole pack.

There is war between Spitz, the lead dog and Buck - unsettling the whole pack. Sooner or later, the bitterness between them will have to be resolved.

Jack London's The Call of the Wild was published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand.

The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck and 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. 

Jack London spent almost a year in the Yukon, and his observations form much of the material for the book. The story was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post in the summer of 1903 and published as a book a month later. Its great popularity and success made a reputation for London. As early as 1923, the story was adapted for film, and it has seen several more cinematic adaptations since.

It's often thought of as a children's book and indeed the current film has turned it into a story more suitable for the young. But the original writing is fierce, poetic, beautiful and atmospheric. It appeals to the core of everyone's nature. Exciting and moving in equal measure, it's a sublime adventure story.

Abridged by Robin Brooks
Read by Kerry Shale
Produced by Clive Brill

A Brill production for BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Audiobooks

Podcasts

Drama: Action & Adventure

Jack London's 1903 novel about the adventures of a sled dog during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Jack London's 1903 novel about a sled dog during the Klondike Gold Rush. Exciting and moving in equal measure, it's a sublime adventure story. Read by Kerry Shale.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London

Episode 3

Genres

Series

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4