Let me look into a human eye; it is better than to gaze into sea or sky; better than to gaze upon God.

Herman Melville

Herman Melville ( 1819 - 1891 ) was born in New York. He was the son of a merchant. His father died when he was only twelve. In 1841 Melville shipped on the whaler Acushnet, bound for the South Seas. Next year he deserted ship in the Marquesas and sailed further on the Pacific. In 1844 he returned as a US Navy sailor in the frigate United States. Many of his literary works capture the mistery of isolated islands, the redoubtable soul of sea creatures and the madness of the American upper - class white man fighting Natives and Nature alike. .

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