The library will sponsor a discussion of Billy Budd by Herman Melville on Monday, February 21, at 7:00 PM. The discussion will be free and open to the public. This is the second in a series of discussions of classic American novels scheduled this winter.
Not published until more than thirty years after Melville’s death, Billy Budd is today one of his best-known and most-discussed works. Melville’s tale of an innocent and guileless sailor caught in an unjust world wrestles with issues of guilt, justice, and the nature of truth. The book has been adapted for film, television, and perhaps most famously as an opera with music by Benjamin Britten and libretto by E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier.
Melville’s short novel is nevertheless thematically rich and an excellent example of the work of one of American’s greatest novelists. It’s sure to inspire a lively discussion.
