Herman Melville

Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick (1851). His first three books gained much contemporary attention (Mardi 1849, Redburn 1849, and White-Jacket 1850), but his popularity declined precipitously in the mid-1850s and never recovered during his lifetime. When he died in 1891, he was almost completely forgotten. It was not until the "Melville Revival" in the early 20th century that his work won recognition, especially Moby-Dick, which was hailed as one of the literary masterpieces of both American and world literature. Melville was born in New York City, the third child of a merchant who dealt in French dry goods. He was sent to a boarding school at the age of 12, and later attended a school in Albany. He briefly attended college, but left after a year. He then worked as a bank clerk, a schoolteacher, and a cabin boy on a merchant ship. He later joined the crew of a whaling ship, and spent a year at sea. Melville's first novel, Typee (1846), was based on his experiences in Polynesia. His second novel, Omoo (1847), was also based on his experiences at sea. His third novel, Mardi (1849), was a complex allegory. Redburn (1849) and White-Jacket (1850) were semi-autobiographical novels based on his experiences at sea. Moby-Dick (1851) was a complex allegory about good and evil, and the nature of God. Melville's later works, such as Pierre (1852) and The Confidence-Man (1857), were not well received by the public. He turned to poetry and wrote several volumes of verse, including Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War (1866) and Clarel (1876). He also wrote several short stories, including "Bartleby, the Scrivener" (1853). Melville died in 1891, at the age of 72. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City.

142 works on Textopian

Works by Herman Melville