Herman Melville is best known for his monster of a novel, MOBY-DICK, which celebrates its 161st anniversary today. It’s one of the most famous novels of all time and even its first line (“Call me Ishmael.”) is well-known.
MOBY-DICK was published in 1851 and tells the story of Captain Ahab, who wants nothing but to seek revenge against the sperm whale that years ago attacked his ship and ate his leg. The novel also deals with deeper themes such as good vs. evil and social class.
Did You Know?
- When it was first published, MOBY-DICK was a flop and was heavily criticized. The failure was a huge blow to Melville who used to be very famous earlier in his career.It wasn’t until the 20th century that scholars help bring the novel the fame it enjoys today.
- Herman Melville was a seaman himself and spent much of his youth travelling on various different ships. The experiences he had on these adventures inspired much of his writing.
- The sperm whale in MOBY-DICK is based partly on a real albino sperm whale called Mocha Dick who had a reputation for attacking ships and was eventually killed with ten harpoons in its back, all the while fighting vigorously.
- Herman Melville was very good friends with another great American writer, Nathaneal Hawthrone, and even dedicated MOBY-DICK to him. Hawthrone is famous for his novel THE SCARLET LETTER.
- The concept of Captain Ahab’s revenge and the mnysterious and elusive Moby-Dick has been used many times in movies, cartoons, music and TV shows. The book itself has been adapted many times into films, graphic novels and radio shows.