A Conversation with Melville biographer Andrew Delbanco on the 175th anniversary of Moby-Dick

Andrew Delbanco, Columbia University In discussion with Natalie Dykstra, Hope College Thursday, October 8, 2026 5:00 PM - 6:15 PM EDT This event is hybrid.&nbsp; <a href="https://18308a.blackbaudhosting.com/18308a/New-England-Biography-Series-with-Andrew-Delbanco---In-Person-Research">Register to attend in person&nbsp;</a> <a href="https://18308a.blackbaudhosting.com/18308a/New-England-Biography-Series-with-Andrew-Delbanco---Virtual-Research">Register to attend online</a> The New England Biography Series presents a conversation with the distinguished scholar Andrew Delbanco on the 175th anniversary of the publication of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. In his thrilling 2005 biography, Melville: His World and Work, Delbanco observes how the master was the "first American to write with such outrageous freedom," inventing a new prose that would anticipate modernism. Delbanco is Alexander Hamilton Professor of American Studies at Columbia University and President of the Teagle Foundation. His other books include The War Before the War: Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America’s Soul (2018), and College: What it Was, Is, and Should Be (2012 and 2023). Delbanco has been awarded a National Humanities Medal and in 2022 delivered the Jefferson Lecture. Join Natalie Dykstra in conversation with Andrew Delbanco about Herman Melville, his enduring literary influence, and the art and craft of biography. Join the conversation at the <a href="https://www.masshist.org/seminars/new-england-biography-series">New England Biography Series</a>. The New England Biography Series is a forum for writers and readers alike to engage in an ongoing discussion about the historical, literary, and methodological questions that make biography a challenging and rewarding undertaking.&nbsp; The in-person reception starts at 4:15 PM and the seminar will begin at 5:00 PM. The virtual seminar begins at 5:00 PM and will be hosted on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information. By registering you are agreeing to abide by the <a href="https://www.masshist.org/admin/uploads/Visitor_Code_of_Conduct_2024_e1ce7f7c12.pdf">MHS Visitor Code of Conduct</a>.

Massachusetts Historical Society

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A Conversation with Melville biographer Andrew Delbanco on the 175th anniversary of Moby-Dick

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