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The Poetry of Herman Meville (Audiobook)
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Read by Ghizela Rowe, Richard Mitchley & Gideon Wagner (Unabridged: 1hr 5mins)

Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1st, 1819, the third of eight children.

At the age of 7 Melville contracted scarlet fever which was to permanently diminish his eyesight.  <p>At this time Melville was described as being "very backwards in speech and somewhat slow in comprehension."

His father died when he was 12 leaving the family in very straitened times. Just 14 Melville took a job in a bank paying $150 a year that he obtained via his uncle, Peter Gansevoort, who was one of the directors of the New York State Bank.

After a failed stint as a surveyor he signed on to go to sea and travelled across the Atlantic to Liverpool and then on further voyages to the Pacific on adventures which would soon become the architecture of his novels.  Whilst travelling he joined a mutiny, was jailed, fell in love with a South Pacific beauty and became known as a figure of opposition to the coercion of native Hawaiians to the Christian religion.

He drew from these experiences in his books Typee, Omoo, and White-Jacket. These were published as novels, the first initially in London in 1846.

By 1851 his masterpiece, Moby Dick, was ready to be published.  It is perhaps, and certainly at the time, one of the most ambitious novels ever written.   However, it never sold out its initial print run of 3,000 and Melville’s earnings on this masterpiece were a mere $556.37.

In succeeding years his reputation waned and he found life increasingly difficult.  His family was growing, now four children, and a stable income was essential.

With his finances in a disappointing state Melville took the advice of friends that a change in career was called for.  For many others public lecturing had proved very rewarding.  From late 1857 to 1860, Melville embarked upon three lecture tours, where he spoke mainly on Roman statuary and sightseeing in Rome.

In 1876 he was at last able to publish privately his 16,000 line epic poem Clarel. It was to no avail.  The book had an initial printing of 350 copies, but sales failed miserably.

On December 31st, 1885 Melville was at last able to retire.  His wife had inherited several small legacies and provide them with a reasonable income.

Herman Melville, novelist, poet, short story writer and essayist, died at his home on September 28rh 1891 from cardiovascular disease.


In this compilation - 

01 - The Poetry of Herman Melville - An Introduction
02 - The Maldive Shark by Herman Melville
03 - The Eagle Of The Blue by Herman Melville
04 - John Marr and Other Sailors by Herman Melville
05 - The Stone Fleet by Herman Melville
06 - Father Mapples Hymn by Herman Melville
07 - After the Pleasure Party - Lines Traced Under an Image of Amor Threatening by Herman Melville
08 - The Berg, A Dream by Herman Melville
09 - The Temeraire by Herman Melville
10 - The Swamp Angel by Herman Melville
11 - Misgivings by Herman Melville
12 - The House Top (A Night Piece) by Herman Melville
13 - Immolated by Herman Melville
14 - The Enthusiast by Herman Melville
15 - The Land of Love by Herman Melville
16 - Aurora Borealis by Herman Melville
17 - Shelley's Vision by Herman Melville
18 - Art by Herman Melville
19 - Greek Architecture by Herman Melville
20 - On the Photograph of a Corps Commander by Herman Melville
21 - The Apparition by Herman Melville
22 - Malvern Hill by Herman Melville
23 - Look-Out Mountain by Herman Merlville
24 - Monody by Herman Melville
25 - The March into Virginia by Herman Melville
26 - Duponts Round Fight (November 1861) by Herman Melville
27 - The Released Rebel Prisoner by Herman Melville
28 - Billy in the Darbies by Herman Melville
29 - In The Prison Pen by Herman Melville
30 - The Mound by the Lake by Herman Melville
31 - The Martyr by Herman Melville
32 - Shiloh by Herman Melville
33 - The Portent by Herman Melville
34 - Memorial on the Slain At Chickamauga by Herman Melville
35 - A Dirge for McPherson by Herman Melville
36 - A Meditation by Herman Melville
37 - America by Herman Melville
38 - The Age of the Antonines by Herman Melville
39 - Gettysburg by Herman Melville