John Barleycorn (1913) by Jack London is an autobiographical novel subtitled "Alcoholic Memoirs." The title derives from the British folk ballad personifying alcohol as a character who suffers and dies, only to return stronger. London chronicles his lifelong struggle with drink, beginning with his first taste of alcohol as a young oyster pirate in San Francisco Bay. Through vivid episodes as a sailor, gold prospector, and struggling writer, he examines alcohol's seductive grip on working men and creative minds alike. Neither purely condemnation nor celebration, the work serves as a powerful personal testimony that later contributed to the prohibition movement in America.
