Herman Melville

Herman Melville (born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) is best known as the author of *Moby-Dick*, a novel that eventually became regarded as one of the Great American Novels, though it found little audience in his lifetime. Born in New York City, the third child of a prosperous merchant whose death in 1832 plunged the family into financial hardship, Melville went to sea in 1839 as a common sailor. After jumping ship in the Marquesas Islands, he turned his experiences into his first books, *Typee* and *Omoo*, which were successful travel adventures. His growing literary ambition produced *Moby-Dick*, written over nearly a year and a half, but its psychological complexity was scorned by critics, as was his novel *Pierre*. From 1853 to 1856, he published short fiction in magazines, including "Bartleby, the Scrivener" and "Benito Cereno." After a final prose work, *The Confidence-Man*, he moved to New York and became a U.S. customs inspector. He then focused on poetry, including *Battle-Pieces* on the Civil War and the metaphysical epic *Clarel*. His later years were marked by personal tragedy—the deaths of both sons—and private poetry publications. Posthumously, his novella *Billy Budd, Sailor* was published, and a revival beginning with the centennial of his birth in 1919 restored his reputation. His work has been adapted into numerous comic book editions, including *Classics Illustrated*.