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==Introduction==
There are many candidates for the title of the ‘Great American Novel’. One of the book’s that is often cited as the greatest American novel of all time is ‘Moby Dick’ (1851). This is perhaps one the best-known novel in the English language and has been translated into almost every language. It is perhaps not only the most famous novel about whaling but also the most famous novel about the sea that was ever written. A popular Hollywood movie, starring Gregory Peck, based on the novel was made in 1967 and the work also inspired a mini-series, starring Ethan Hawke (2011). The story of the obsessive Captain Ahab and his pursuit of the White Whale have entered the popular imagination. This article will discuss if the novel is based on a real-life historical event and figures.
==The author of Moby Dick==
Herman Melville, the author of the novel (1819-1892) was born in New York, into an affluent family, his father a merchant died when he was quite young. This left Melville and his family in a precarious financial position and dependent on relatives. The young man signed up to serve on a whaling ship and went to sea in 1840 on-board a whaling ship. In the 19th century, whales were hunted for their oil. While at sea the young Melville had many adventures <ref> Delbanco, Andrew, Melville: His World and Work (New York: Knopf, 2005), p 23</ref>. In 1841 he jumped ship in Tahiti and later joined another whaler. He became involved in a mutiny on board this ship and was briefly jailed. Melville served as an ordinary seaman on a US Navy frigate before he eventually returned home. Soon he became a full-time writer and had great success with his first novel Typee, based on his own adventures<ref>Delbanco, p 145</ref>. His later works were not commercially successful and the book that he is best known for, Moby Dick was a complete failure. Melville was obliged to work as a custom’s official and continued to write poetry and prose, but they were largely ignored. He died penniless and forgotten in 1891 in New York. Since then his fame has grown and his novels, short stories, and poems are regarded not only as classics of American literature but of World literature<ref>Delbanco, p 112</ref>.
