Published posthumously in 1924, "Billy Budd" is a masterpiece second only to Melville's "Moby-Dick," This complex short novel tells the story of "the handsome sailor" Billy who, provoked by a false charge, accidentally kills the satanic master-at-arms. Unable to defend himself due to astammer, he is hanged, going willingly to his fate. Although typically ambiguous, "Billy Budd" is seen by many as a testament to Melville's ultimate reconciliation with the incongruities and injustices of life.
"The Piazza Tales" (1856) comprises six short stories, including the perpetually popular "Benito Cereno" and "Bartleby," a tale of a scrivener who repeatedly distills his mordant criticism of the workplace into the deceptively simple phrase "I would prefer not to."
Robert G. O'Meally is Zora Neale Hurston Professor of Literature at Columbia University, where he has served on the faculty for seventeen years; since 1999 he has been the director of Columbia's Center for Jazz Studies. He is the author of "The Craft of Ralph Ellison" and "Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday," and the principal writer of "Seeing Jazz," the catalog for the Smithsonian Institution's exhibit on jazz painting and literature.
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Published posthumously in 1924, "Billy Budd" is a masterpiece second only to Melville's "Moby-Dick," This complex short novel tells the story of "the handsome sailor" Billy who, provoked by a false charge, accidentally kills the satanic master-at-arms. Unable to defend himself due to astammer, he is hanged, going willingly to his fate. Although typically ambiguous, "Billy Budd" is seen by many as a testament to Melville's ultimate reconciliation with the incongruities and injustices of life.
"The Piazza Tales" (1856) comprises six short stories, including the perpetually popular "Benito Cereno" and "Bartleby," a tale of a scrivener who repeatedly distills his mordant criticism of the workplace into the deceptively simple phrase "I would prefer not to."
Robert G. O'Meally is Zora Neale Hurston Professor of Literature at Columbia University, where he has served on the faculty for seventeen years; since 1999 he has been the director of Columbia's Center for Jazz Studies. He is the author of "The Craft of Ralph Ellison" and "Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday," and the principal writer of "Seeing Jazz," the catalog for the Smithsonian Institution's exhibit on jazz painting and literature.
Imprint | Fine Communications,US |
Country of origin | United States |
Release date | April 2006 |
Availability | Supplier out of stock. If you add this item to your wish list we will let you know when it becomes available. |
First published | April 2006 |
Authors | Herman Melville |
Introduction by | Robert G O'Meally |
Dimensions | 204 x 132 x 26mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Paperback - Trade |
Pages | 384 |
ISBN-13 | 978-1-59308-253-6 |
Barcode | 9781593082536 |
Categories | |
LSN | 1-59308-253-3 |