James Oliver Curwood - Literary and Film Legacy

Literary and Film Legacy

Curwood's adventure writing followed in the tradition of Jack London. Like London, Curwood set many of his works in the wilds of the Great Northwest and often used animals as lead characters (Kazan, "Baree; Son of Kazan, The Grizzly King and Nomads of the North). Many of Curwood's adventure novels also feature romance as primary or secondary plot consideration. This approach gave his work broad commercial appeal and helped drive his appearance on several best-seller lists in the early 1920s. His most successful work was his 1920 novel, The River's End. The book sold more than 100,000 copies and was the fourth best-selling title of the year in the United States, according to Publisher's Weekly.

He contributed to various literary and popular magazines throughout his career. Curwood's bibliography includes more than 200 such articles, short stories and serializations. His work was also published in Canada and the United Kingdom. Some of his books were translated into French, Italian, Russian, Spanish and Swedish and published in those respective countries.

Curwood's final novel, Green Timber, was nearly finished at the time of his death. It was completed by Dorothea A. Bryant and published in 1930.

At least eighteen movies have been based on or inspired by Curwood's novels and short stories. John Wayne starred in the 1934 production of The Trail Beyond, based on Curwood's novel, The Wolf Hunters. A number of movies based in his work starred Nell Shipman as a brave and adventurous woman in the wilds of the north. In 1988 French director Jean-Jacques Annaud used his 1916 novel, The Grizzly King to make the film The Bear. The film's success generated a renewed interest in Curwood.