Legacy: The Artists Behind The Legends

Herman Melville was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer active during the American Renaissance period from roughly the mid 1840s until his death in 1891. His best known works include magnificent classics such as Moby Dick and Typee, and while Melville today is considered one of the great American authors, his work…and Melville himself…were practically forgotten for the last thirty years of his life. A man of astounding creative vision, Herman brought to life his heritage and his experiences on the open ocean in his works, and additionally wrote of the large contradictions of American society during a time of rapid change. This was a man who lived on the open seas for years hunting whales for oil, a man who witnessed the Civil War yet was prevented from fighting in it, one who desperately sought to connect with his readers though sadly could not reach them through his storytelling until nearly 100 years after his birth. Melville’s existence is full of ups and downs like the waves of the ocean he