“Jack Chase, the educated, manly friend in White Jacket, was an actual shipmate never to be forgotten. … Chase stayed in the heart, forever cherished, the only unwavering, beyond the family, friendship of Melville's life. In White Jacket he is addressed: 'Wherever you may now be rolling over the blue billows, dear Jack! take my best love along with you, and God bless you, wherever you go!' The same sense of the beloved lost wanderer will forty years later illuminate the dedication to Billy Budd: 'To Jack Chase, Englishman/Wherever that great heart may now be/Here on Earth or harbored in Paradise'.” --Elizabeth Hardwick, “Melville in Love,” The New York Review of Books, 2000.* “What startled me most about White-Jacket, though, is how contemporary his descriptions of sea life sound. Many of the Neversink crewmen will be instantly familiar to anyone who's served in modern U.S. Navy surface ships, the passage of time and advances in technology notwithstanding. … The contemporary feel to Melville's storytelling speaks volumes about why navies are the tradition-bound services they are. White-Jacket makes a great read, both for old salts indulging their nostalgia and for landlubbers who want to catch sight of life on the raging foam.” --James R. Holmes, The Diplomat, 2013.
Herman Melville
Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer best known for his novel "Moby-Dick," a complex and symbolic work that explores themes of obsession, fate, and the struggle between good and evil. Melville's writing style is characterized by its rich symbolism, philosophical depth, and exploration of existential themes. His other notable works include "Typee," "Billy Budd," and "Bartleby, the Scrivener." Melville's contributions to literature have had a lasting impact on the development of American literature, particularly in the genre of the novel.
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