HERMAN MELVILLE

HERMAN MELVILLE

Melville was born in a prominent family on 1 August , 1819 in New York. While he was attending school, his father’s business failed compelling the family to move to Albany. For some time ; Melville tried various jobs as his father died in 1832 ,and his brother’s business also failed. He worked even as a farm worker. By 1839, he started writing and Published a couple of sketches.

In 1841, Melville began a voyage in whaling ship which continued for many years and provided him with the rich experience of the seas, the ships and the sea creatures. Based on this life he led with the natives of the South Seas islands, Melville published ‘Typee’ in 1846, ‘Gnoo’ in 1847, and ‘Mardi’ in 1849. When he met Nathaniel Hawthorne near Pittsfield, Massachusetts, an enthusiastic fervor for creating a new type of literature swept him . I Almost immediately he wrote Moby Dick .It was published in London under the title ‘The Whale’.

Melville’s finances and his health were not in good shape, leading him to bitterness and frustration. Though he wrote a few more works like ‘The Confidence Man’, ‘Pierce and the Piazza Tales’, Melville’s genius remained unrecognized among the readers in America. From 1866 to 1885 he was a customs, inspector in New York City. When Melville was 72; he completed ‘Billy Budd’, his first novel after a period of 30 years. When he died in 1866, he was not a happy man.

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