Herman Melville (1819 - 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer and poet. After studying classic literature in New York, Melville worked as a crew member on different merchant and whaling ships. In 1842, he and a crewmate fell into the hands of cannibals on a Polynesian island. After his escape and return to the mainland, he started to write down his experiences, which resulted in his works, including "Typee" and "Moby Dick", which are world-famous today.