Re: Jack London's popularity in Russia stemmed from a confluence of factors

On 27/03/2024 2:19 p.m., HenHanna wrote:

 Jack London (1876 -- 1916)
  Jack London's popularity in Russia stemmed from a confluence of factors:
 --  Socialist themes:          London was a vocal advocate for socialism and workers' rights, which resonated with the communist ideology of the Soviet Union.      His works like "The Iron Heel" depicting a dystopian capitalist society fit well with the Soviet narrative.
 --  Struggle for survival:     Many of London's most famous stories, like "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang," depict characters battling the harsh elements and social Darwinist struggles.     This resonated with the hardships faced by the Russian people, especially during the revolutions and early Soviet period.
 --  Everyman's hero:     London's protagonists often rose from humble beginnings, overcoming challenges through strength and resilience. This appealed to the Russian desire for heroes who embodied the spirit of the common people.
 -- Accessibility:     Unlike some complex literary works, London's adventure stories were known for their straightforward prose and exciting narratives, making them widely accessible to Russian readers.
  It's interesting to note that some of London's views, like his occasional racial stereotypes, wouldn't be considered acceptable today.
 However, during his time, his socialist leanings and focus on the underdog made him a popular figure in Soviet Russia, even for leader Vladimir Lenin.

That makes sense.
I had the same impression about London's popularity in the Soviet Union at that time. I never visited Russia, but I was studying the language, and my impression may have been based on Russian translations of English books that were available in the local Communist bookstore.
Another writer that apparently was favoured at that time was John Galsworthy. Not having read him at all, I had the impression he was just a chronicler of the English bourgeoisie, so he seemed like a strange choice. However, quotes like the following from Wikipedia suggest reasons not unlike the above cited for London:
"As a dramatist he became known for plays with a social message, reflecting, among other themes, the struggle of workers against exploitation, the use of solitary confinement in prisons, the repression of women, and jingoism and the politics and morality of war."
"As well as writing plays and novels with social messages, Galsworthy campaigned continually for a wide range of causes about which he felt strongly, from animal welfare to prison reform, censorship and workers' rights. Although seen by many as a radical, he belonged to and supported no political party."
"The literary modernists of his day deplored Galsworthy's books, and those of his contemporaries H. G. Wells and Arnold Bennett."