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Whose novel is Moby-Dick?

literatureamerican literature

Quick Answer

Herman Melville, the American author, who published it in 1851. It was a commercial failure in his lifetime but is now a classic.

The Full Story

Moby-Dick was written by Herman Melville and published in 1851. It is narrated by a sailor who introduces himself with the famous line Call me Ishmael, and it follows Captain Ahab’s obsessive hunt for the white whale that took his leg. Melville drew on his own experiences aboard a whaling ship in the early 1840s, and on the true story of the whaleship Essex, which was rammed and sunk by a sperm whale in 1820. The book sold poorly and received mixed reviews, and Melville died in 1891 largely forgotten as a novelist. Its reputation was revived in the 1920s, and today it is often ranked among the greatest American novels.

Key Facts

1.The novel was first published in London under the title The Whale.
2.Melville dedicated the book to his friend Nathaniel Hawthorne.
3.The coffee chain Starbucks is named after Ahab’s first mate, Starbuck.

YouTube Angle

Suggested video title for this topic:

"Call me Ishmael — how a flop became America’s great novel"