Herman Melville’s epic tale of obsession and vengeance on the high seas, Moby-Dick, or The Whale was not initially successful when it was first published in 1851 but later went on to become one of the most widely read and critically acclaimed novels in literary history.
Narrated by the sailor Ishmael, who signs up to go to sea aboard the whaling ship the Pequod, the story recounts the mad quest by the single-minded Captain Ahab to find and kill an enormous white sperm whale – christened Moby-Dick – who took Ahab’s leg in a previous voyage.
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Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American poet, short story writer and novelist whose experience on the high seas formed the basis for his best-known works: Billy Budd, Sailor and the epic tale of obsession and vengeance, Moby-Dick. Born in New York City to a wealthy merchant, Melville and his family found themselves facing dire financial difficulties when his father died in 1832. Melville signed up to become a sailor and headed out to sea in 1839 aboard a merchant ship and later, the whaler Acushnet before jumping ship in the Marquesas Islands. His real-world experiences in the Marquesas inspired his first two books, Typee and its sequel Omoo, and the success of these books gave Melville the financial security to marry Elizabeth Shaw, the daughter of a Boston jurist.His follow up novels, Mardi (1849), Redburn (1849) and White-Jacket (1850) garnered fair reviews, but were not nearly as successful as his earlier efforts. Melville then settled down for over a year and a half to write Moby-Dick, or The Whale (1851), but the book did not initially resonate with the reading public. Melville continued writing novels – including the poorly received Pierre: or, The Ambiguities – and he soon moved on to concentrate almost entirely on poetry and short fiction. He moved to New York in 1863, and eventually took a job as a U. S. customs inspector.Melville suffered several family tragedies late in life, including the deaths of his two sons, one of whom took his own life. After Melville retired, he continued to write poetry and, following his death in 1891 his final book – the novella Billy Budd – was discovered and published posthumously in 1924.Despite its initial, unenthusiastic reception, Moby-Dick would go on to become one of the most highly praised and widely read books in literary history.
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