Tales of compelling power by one of America's greatest writers Stung by the critical reception and lack of commercial success of his previous two works Moby-Dick and Pierre Herman Melville became obsessed with the difficulties of communicating his vision to readers. His sense of isolation lies at the heart of these later works. "Billy Budd Sailor " a classic confrontation between good and evil is the story of an innocent young man unable to defend himself against a wrongful accusation. The other selections here--"Bartleby " "The Encantadas " "Benito Cereno " and "The Piazza"--also illuminate in varying guises the way fictions are created and shared with a wider society. In his introduction Frederick Busch discusses Melville's preoccupation with his "correspondence with the world " his quarrel with silence and why fiction was for Melville "a matter of life and death." Bartleby -- The piazza -- The Encantadas -- The bell-tower -- Benito Cereno -- The paradise of bachelors and the tartarus of maids -- Billy Budd sailor.
