Martin Eden

Jack London

Martin Eden is a young sailor on a long-distance voyage. His life is full of adventures, he likes drinking, girls, and fights. Until the day he meets Ruth Morse, a young woman from the upper middle class. To seduce her, he gives up his bad habits and his bad company. Through hard work, he builds up an encyclopedic knowledge and discovers that he has a real talent for writing. But Ruth's family takes a dim view of their daughter's affair with Martin. He gives himself two years to succeed, to have his writings published, in order to marry Ruth. Martin Eden aspires to this social advancement, the harder the fall...