Jonathan Bayliss, Gloucester, 1967; Herman Melville, c. 1860; Charles Olson, Gloucester, 1967
credits: Peter Bayliss, Library of Congress, Charles Olson Collection of the Cape Ann Museum Library and Archives
"Wellingborough Redburn, whose famous leviathan led him step by step to realize that that story was but the central zenith of a single book with the seven tomes that altogether founded the later fiction and poetry ..."
- Gloucestermas
Herman Melville and His Admirers Bayliss and Olson
Friday, March 20, 2-4 pm
Houghton Library, Harvard Yard, Cambridge
A special program in honor of the centenary of Bayliss's 1926 birth
Free - all are welcome
Public transportation / car pool recommended
The author of Moby-Dick was a compelling interest of both Jonathan Bayliss and his friend Charles Olson.
In his GLOUCESTERMAN fiction, Bayliss slipped in many allusions to Melville's writing and apparently read every published work of Melville with care and appreciation - including the extremely long poem Clarel.
Olson wrote the classic 1947 study Call Me Ishmael based on his Melville studies before, during, and after his time at Harvard in the 1930s.
Our March 20 (spring equinox!) program at Harvard's Houghton Library will include short talks as well as an opportunity to look at precious materials from Houghton's archives, including pages from a journal Melville kept in 1857 while traveling by ship through the Mediterranean to Palestine.
After an introduction by Houghton's Leslie Morris, Gore Vidal Curator of Modern Books and Manuscripts, attendees will hear a talk by JBS founding member Paul McGeary on Bayliss's interest in Melville. (Paul will be traveling to a wedding and so his talk will be read by Michael O'Leary.)
JBS Board member John Day will talk about Olson's Melville studies before, during, and after his time at Harvard in the 1930s.
Melville scholar Wyn Kelley, recently retired from MIT and a founding member of the Melville Society Cultural Project, will discuss lesser-known aspects of Melville's life, including his travels to the Holy Land, as well as Bayliss's remarkable enthusiasm for virtually all aspects of Melville's life and writing.
The program will conclude with Gloucester singer and song-searcher Michael O’Leary reading and/or singing selections from Melville's epic poem Clarel.
Before and after the program, attendees will have an opportunity to view the current exhibits at Houghton Library and may wish to walk across the street to see what's on at the Harvard Art Museums (free admission).