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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.

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