Herman Melville was an American novelist, poet and a short story writer, best known for his novel, Moby Dick which is considered one of the greatest works of American literature. Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1, 1819. Herman’s father had a successful import business which allowed the family to live in a fashionable part of New York City. In 1826, Herman’s father died leaving the family in financial turmoil. Despite him being good in academia, Herman’s family could not afford to send him to college. Instead at the age of eighteen, Herman signed up to work on a merchant ship bound for Liverpool, England. He spent many years at sea, travelling to far-off places like the South-Pacific and the Galapagos islands. This experience would inspire his later writing about the sea and the whaling industry.
