Israel Potter: his fifty years of exile (1855) by Herman Melville (Original Vers - Softcover

Melville, Herman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1530825830 ISBN 13: 9781530825837

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016

Synopsis

Herman Melville[a] (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period best known for Typee (1846), a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life, and his whaling novel Moby-Dick (1851). His work was almost forgotten during his last thirty years. His writing draws on his experience at sea as a common sailor, exploration of literature and philosophy, and engagement in the contradictions of American society in a period of rapid change. He developed a complex, baroque style: the vocabulary is rich and original, a strong sense of rhythm infuses the elaborate sentences, the imagery is often mystical or ironic, and the abundance of allusion extends to Scripture, myth, philosophy, literature, and the visual arts. Born in New York City as the third child of a merchant in French dry goods, Melville's formal education ended abruptly after his father died in 1832, leaving the family in financial straits. Melville briefly became a schoolteacher before he took to sea in 1839 as a common sailor on a merchant ship. In 1840 he signed aboard the whaler Acushnet for his first whaling voyage, but jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands. After further adventures, he returned to Boston in 1844. His first book, Typee (1845), a highly romanticized account of his life among Polynesians, became such a best-seller that he worked up a sequel, Omoo (1847). These successes encouraged him to marry Elizabeth Shaw, of a prominent Boston family, but were hard to sustain. His first novel not based on his own experiences, Mardi (1849

About this title

From the Back Cover

'Israel Potter' is a historical novel about a soldier in the American Revolution who fought at Bunker Hill, was captured by the British and imprisoned in England, escaped, served as a spy for the American cause, was a sailor under Captain John Paul Jones, and after the war, impoverished and unable to return to his native New England, remained in London until near the end of his life.

About the Author

Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist and poet. Hennig Cohen is Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania and former editor of American Quarterly. He is recognized as a leading Melville scholar.

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1530825830
• ISBN 13: 9781530825837
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 202