Jack London one of America's true literary giants . When the " socialist " Jack London wrote " The Iron Heel " , a novel describing the coming of FASCISM in the USA - the Russian revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky was very impressed and wrote a review . It does seem that larger than life Jack London died of hopeless alcoholism at the age of 40 . Like our world famous, Providence , Rhode Island horror writer H.P. Lovecraft , Jack London himself entertained disturbing " fascist " ideas. Not a few men of genius have a divided personality. Whenever I am at the bus stop in Kennedy Plaza, Providence I am reminded of London's book " The People of the Abyss ". Many of his short stories -like " To Light a Fire " - describe the cruel Darwinian struggle for existence .