Where is Moby of today?

Gabriel Garcia Marquez comes to mind... though you must remember that it was not until American literature departments were established in our universities in the 1920s that "Moby-" entered the American canon. Only some 500 copies of the original edition (of 1500) sold and the rest burned up in a warehouse fire. The book ruined Melville's career and alienated his reading constituency, and it was not until late in his life, with the appearance of his superb novella "Billy Budd," that Melville's fortunes were revived. It is difficult to predict what will become canonical; indeed, it would have been impossible to imagine the towering preeminence of Melville's clic based on its initial critical and popular reception. Time will be the test -- the only true test -- as it always has been.