Herman Melville

Bartleby: the Scrivener Herman Melville

Publisher Marketing: Ah, Bartleby Ah, humanity Set in 19th century Wall Street, Bartleby, the Scrivener is now among the most noted of American short stories. It has been considered a precursor of absurdist literature, touching on several of Franz Kafka's themes. Contributor Bio:  Melville, Herman Herman Melville (1819-1891), novelist and poet, was born in New York City. Working with Romantic materials of primitivism, individualism, nature and the Gothic, Melville produced a body of fiction that analyzed reality in both its social and metaphysical dimensions. He is best known for his masterpiece, Moby Dick.