Literature · Military · 1819–1891
Born: 1 August 1819 · Died: 28 September 1891 · Age at death: 72
Herman Melville died aged 72. He was born on 1 August 1819 and died on 28 September 1891.
American novelist whose Moby-Dick, about Captain Ahab's hunt for a white whale, failed in his lifetime but became a classic
Did you know?His early experiences working on a whaling ship in the South Pacific provided the inspiration for many of his novels.
Herman Melville wrote the great American novel that almost nobody read. He spent years at sea, on whaling ships and in the South Seas. His first books, based on those adventures, were popular. Moby-Dick, about Captain Ahab's hunt for a white whale, sold poorly. He worked for years as a customs inspector in New York. He died almost forgotten. Today Moby-Dick is a classic.
Herman Melville (born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American writer of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are Moby-Dick (1851), Typee (1846), a romanticized account of his experiences in Polynesia, and Billy Budd, Sailor, a posthumously published novella.
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“Call me Ishmael.”
Profile
American novelist, 1819–1891
Herman Melville was born in New York City on 1 August 1819.
He sailed on the whaler Acushnet in 1841.
His first book, Typee, appeared in 1846.
Moby-Dick was published in 1851.
Career highlights
Did you know?Billy Budd was found after his death and published in 1924.
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