Herman Melville

(August 1, 1819 September 28, 1891)

Melville grew up in New York City. He grew up in a middle class household. His father went bankrupt and died when he was 12 years old. He attended school as an adolescent, but had to drop out to work to support the family.

In search of adventures, Melville shipped out in 1839 as a cabin boy on the whaler Acushnet. He joined later the US Navy, and started his years long voyages on ships, sailing both the Atlantic and the South Seas.

He lived briefly among the Typee cannibals in the Marquesas Islands. Another ship rescued him and took him to Tahiti. In his mid-20's Melville returned to his mother's house to write about his adventures.

Didnt write just Dark Romanticism, but focused on adventure narratives as well. Less gothic in literature than Edgar Allen Poe. Still considered a Dark Romantic.

Settled down with his wife in a farm in New York. His work fell out of favor with the public. He never had another publicly appreciated work in the later years of his life. He was a forgotten man. 30 years later Moby-Dick, was rediscovered and popularized by the masses

At the end of his life Melville had very little money and his writing career had fallen off. His son committed suicide and he lost most of his money.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Melville

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/melville.htm