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Overview
Billy Budd, Sailor is a novel by Herman Melville that the author was working on at the time of his death in 1891 and that was first published in 1924
. Based in part on events Melville himself experienced at sea as a young man, Billy Budd also incorporates a 1842 incident involving Melville’s first cousin, who played a role—similar to Captain Vere in the novel—as an arbitrator in a controversy involving the trial and execution of two midshipmen on board the U.S.S. Somers.Read the full book summary, an in-depth character analysis of Billy Budd, and explanations of important quotes from Billy Budd, Sailor.
