Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

About the Author

Herman Melville

Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet whose works, particularly his masterpiece 'Moby-Dick,' eventually came to be regarded as classics of American literature despite experiencing commercial failure and critical neglect during his lifetime. Born in New York City to a once-prominent merchant family that had fallen on hard times, Melville experienced financial instability throughout his childhood, especially after his father's death in 1832, which forced him to leave school and take various jobs. Seeking adventure and escape from his circumstances, Melville embarked on a series of sea voyages that would profoundly influence his writing. In 1841, he signed onto the whaling ship Acushnet, but deserted in the Marquesas Islands eighteen months later. His experiences living among the Typee natives became the basis for his first book, 'Typee' (1846), a romanticized account that brought him immediate literary success. A sequel, 'Omoo' (1847), further established his reputation as an adventure writer. His subsequent works grew increasingly complex and philosophical, beginning with 'Mardi' (1849), continuing with 'Redburn' (1849) and 'White-Jacket' (1850), and culminating in 'Moby-Dick' (1851), his ambitious masterwork that combined adventure narrative with profound metaphysical, philosophical, and biblical allusions. The novel's commercial failure began a decline in Melville's literary fortunes. 'Pierre' (1852), an experimental psychological novel, was met with confusion and hostility, and subsequent works like 'Israel Potter' (1855) and 'The Confidence-Man' (1857) attracted little attention. Melville eventually turned to poetry and private writing, publishing the Civil War collection 'Battle-Pieces' (1866) and the epic poem 'Clarel' (1876), both of which were ignored by critics and readers alike. To support his family, Melville worked as a customs inspector in New York from 1866 until his retirement in 1885. His final prose work, the novella 'Billy Budd,' was left unfinished at his death and published posthumously in 1924. In his personal life, Melville married Elizabeth Shaw in 1847, with whom he had four children. The marriage was strained by financial difficulties and the psychological toll of literary neglect. Several of his children experienced tragic fates: his son Malcolm committed suicide in 1867, and his son Stanwix died at 35 after a life of wandering. When Melville died in 1891, he had been largely forgotten by the literary world, with his New York Times obituary referring to him as 'Henry Melville.' It wasn't until the 'Melville Revival' of the 1920s that scholars and critics began to reevaluate his work, establishing him as a canonical figure whose experimental techniques, psychological depth, and philosophical ambition anticipated modernism. Today, Melville is recognized as one of America's greatest writers, whose works continue to be studied for their complex engagement with issues of democracy, authority, identity, nature, and the human condition.