Interest in the work of Herman Melville arose only after his death. The most amazing thing is that many readers of the 20th century considered him to be their contemporary. A man of difficult fate, Melville has seen a lot in his life. The rich life experience of the American writer is reflected in his works, the most famous of which is the novel "Moby Dick".
From the biography of Herman Melville
American writer Herman Melville was born on August 1, 1819 in New York. There he went to high school. In 1830, his father went broke. The family had to move to Albany, where Herman continued his studies. A year later, my father was gone. Melville had to make a living himself. He managed to work on a farm, in a bank, at a school, at a fur factory.
In 1839, Melville was hired by the Saint Lawrence boat, which flew between New York and Liverpool. And two years later, the young man set off on a long voyage in the South Seas. In those days, the extraction of whale fat brought good profits to the owners of whalers. Many have managed to amass a fortune in this fishery. However, the young adventurer quickly got tired of such hard work.
Once Melville, unable to withstand the harsh temper of the captain of the ship and his tyranny, escaped from the ship. For a month he lived among cannibals in the picturesque Taipi Valley on one of the islands in the south of the Pacific Ocean. And he did not even escape captivity. From there, Melville went on a whaling ship to Tahiti, then lived in Hawaii. In October 1844, a seaman who had gained life experience arrived in Boston.
Melville's creative journey
After returning to his homeland, Melville thought about the future and thoroughly took up filling the gaps in his education. He read a lot, trying to understand how works of art are created.
Melville's writing career began in 1846 with the publication of his book The Typee. The author vividly described life in captivity among the Polynesians. The work brought success to the writer and subsequently laid the foundation for a whole genre - stories about the South Seas.
Melville married in August 1847. Elizabeth Shaw became his chosen one. The girl came from a good family, her father was a respected judge. Two years later, two successive books by Melville saw the light, and the famous novel "Moby Dick" was published in 1851. Several storylines are intertwined in the novel, which forces the reader to be extremely attentive. This feature of the work repels from him lovers of light and superficial reading. And at the same time it attracts those who appreciate the mystery and complexity of plotting.
At the same time, Melville made several attempts to get a job in the civil service, but did not achieve success in this field, although he received a respectable position of customs inspector. It could not be otherwise - Herman was attracted by literature.
After that, the author entered into his asset a few more prose works, after which he became interested in poetry. From that time until the end of his life, Melville published only collections of poems. Herman Melville passed away on September 28, 1891.
Later, critics noted more than once that Melville had a special talent for keeping the reader in suspense until the very end. The stories told by the writer were rare for that time. Much in his books was based on the personal experience of a seasoned traveler. But he was making something up. An excellent and attentive observer, Melville was well aware of human nature and the customs of those around him. He very vividly described in his works the most unattractive recesses of the human soul, stigmatized the greed and greed of his contemporaries.
