John Griffith “Jack” London was a noted novelist, journalist, and Socialist activist. He is probably best known for his nature/adventure novels, The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Sea Wolf. He was also a pioneer in the world of American science fiction. The Iron Heel, written in 1908, mixes science fiction with political fiction. Many consider it the first modern dystopian novel, and it inspired writers such as George Orwell, Adolphus Huxley, Upton Sinclair, and even Leon Trotsky. His 1909 novel Martin Eden continued those political themes, and he was outspoken advocate of Socialist “propaganda” in fiction. He died in 1916 at the young age of 40.