A feature about
Herman Melville (1819-1891)
Written and presented by Michael Meyer with Colin Blakely as Herman Melville
In one sad respect, the author of Moby Dick was unique among great novelists. He was both famous and forgotten in his lifetime.
Born in New York, he was 20 when he signed on as a cabin boy - a deeply shocking experience. His later adventures as a whaler, deserter and mutineer were described in his novels Typee and Omoo, which were successful, and in his masterpiece Moby Dick , which was a failure. Two years after Moby Dick , a fire at his publishers' destroyed his books and the plates from which they had been printed. They were not reprinted during his lifetime. Billy Budd , finished just before his death, was accidentally discovered some 30 years later, with TIM BENTINCK
JOE DUNLOP , ADRIAN BGAN
PAUL MAXWELL , BILL MONKS PENELOPE REYNOLDS
EVA STUART and HARRY TOWB Directed by JOHN THEOCHARIS
(Moby Dick : tomorrow 7.20)