Output details

Of Whales: in Print, in Paint, in Sea, in Stars, in Coin, in House, in Margins

Caleshu’s book of poetry is based on research into Herman Melville’s life and writing (specifically Melville’s novel Moby-Dick or The Whale). Poems aim to achieve new imaginative territory as they ask questions about authorship and literary legacy/tradition, as well as questions about Melville and his work which continue to vex scholars today (eg. about the drafting process and sources of Moby-Dick). Complicating the conventional poetic autobiographical response is paramount to the collection and, to this end, Caleshu overlays his own life experience of new fatherhood (emotions and feelings) with Melville’s life. A paternal ‘posture’ is thus constructed in terms of situations, characters, dynamics, and mid-19th century language registers (as used by Melville, and other whaling literature and specific industry related works of the time). While the voice of the collection is unified within the paternal posture (a father speaks throughout the collection to his newborn son about whales in print, in paint, in sea, in stars, in coin, in house, in margins), the voice is a composite of personas of various whale-invested (and whaling-invested) persons: from Melville, himself, to those authors of whale/whaling articles and books which Melville based Moby-Dick upon. Study of Melville’s letters, Moby-Dick, Melville’s sources of Moby Dick (especially those he annotated with marginalia), is implicitly and explicitly utilized throughout, as is research of Melville’s great novel (and Melville associated) archives as held by New York Public Library, Harvard University, and New Bedford Whaling Museum (June-July 2007). Of further note, Caleshu’s research into the long history of artists and writers responding to Melville and Moby-Dick is alluded to and was informed by a one week fellowship where Caleshu was resident at University of California, San Diego to study the extensive drafts of Susan Howe’s long poem, Melville’s Marginalia (July 2007).