The Piazza Tales
Published on 16. September 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
242 pages
978-1-988963-34-1 (ISBN)
Description
The Piazza Tales is more approachable and just as compelling as any of Melville's longer works. In its six short stories, we find, among other fascinating characters, an office worker who refuses to work, a shipload of rebellious slaves, at least one charlatan, several unhinged sailors, some outright madmen, a marooned woman, and a secretive, self-destructive inventor. In addition, as pretentious as it might sound, there are life lessons to be learned, and solace to be had, in the two undoubted masterpieces of the book: "Bartleby, the Scrivener" and "Benito Cereno." The first will be relevant as long as paperwork endures, while the second is a commentary on race relations that is as vital today as it was when it was written in the mid-1850s.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Canada
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
310 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-988963-34-1 (9781988963341)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Herman Melville was an American Renaissance novelist, poet, and short story writer who lived from August 1, 1819, to September 28, 1891. His most well-known pieces are Typee (1846), a romanticized narrative of his experiences in Polynesia; Moby-Dick (1851); and Billy Budd, Sailor, a novella that was released after his death. Although Melville was no longer well-known to the general public at the time of his death, a Melville renaissance began in 1919, the year of his birth. In the end, Moby-Dick was regarded as one of the best American novels. The third child of a wealthy merchant who died in 1832, leaving the family in terrible financial shape, Melville was born in New York City. He sailed as a common sailor in 1839, first as a whaler Acushnet and subsequently as a merchant ship. However, he abandoned ship in the Marquesas Islands. His first work, Typee, and its follow-up, Omoo (1847), were travelogues inspired by his interactions with the island peoples. He was able to marry Elizabeth Shaw, the daughter of Boston lawyer Lemuel Shaw, because to their prosperity. His debut novel not drawn from personal experience, Mardi (1849), was not well received.