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'Moby-Dick' super fans return to New Bedford for annual marathon

A photo from a previous Moby-Dick Marathon with a reader reciting the sermon of "Father Mapple." (Courtesy New Bedford Whaling Museum)
A photo from a previous Moby-Dick Marathon with a reader reciting the sermon of "Father Mapple." (Courtesy New Bedford Whaling Museum)

Herman Melville's hallowed words will once again echo through the galleries at the New Bedford Whaling Museum on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 7-8. That's because the annual Moby-Dick Marathon is returning — in person — for the first time since early 2020.

This literary super fan event went virtual after the pandemic hit. Now museum CEO Amanda McMullen is over the moon to host the marathon's 27th year where and how it's meant to unfold. She said being together in the same room for 25 hours of Melville's “Moby-Dick” is magical.

“As adults, how often do we sit and let someone read us a story?” she asked. “I also think that there is something pretty spectacular about the communal feeling of being in it with other people — you're sort of launched on this epic tale with very salty characters.”

The relay race-style readings, featuring characters including Captain Ahab and Queequeg, will kick off inside a half-sized replica of a whaling ship, with people sitting on and around the vessel. “Orange is the New Black” actress Taylor Schilling will belt out the author's famous opening line, “Call me Ishmael.” According to McMullen, Schilling is “a friend of the museum” whose father lives in New Bedford.

Melville himself walked the port city's cobblestone streets a decade before writing his seafaring tome. In 1841, he set out from New Bedford on his own whale hunting journey that informed the depth of technical detail found in "Moby-Dick." The marathon's timing is aligned to mark Melville's departure day of Jan. 3.

Attendees of a previous Moby-Dick Marathon read along as the novel is recited. (Courtesy New Bedford Whaling Museum)
Attendees of a previous Moby-Dick Marathon read along as the novel is recited. (Courtesy New Bedford Whaling Museum)

McMullen said scholars and fans are traveling to join the marathon from places including California and Wyoming. “It's a bucket list item for people in so many ways,” she said.

Nearly 400 would-be readers signed up through a lottery for about 211 spots. While the museum is free to all throughout the weekend, the doors will be locked Saturday evening for some of the most coveted time slots. “About 100 or so people will spend the night,” McMullen said. “There are a few diehards that do love reading and listening at 2 and 3 a.m.”

Some of the country's top Melville experts will also be on hand to share insights and field questions in a rigorous game called “Stump the Scholar.” A “Little Whalers' Story Time” and scavenger hunt are scheduled for Saturday morning. There's also an abridged, Portuguese “mini-marathon” with readers live-streaming from Portugal that starts at 3 p.m. Saturday. The cover-to-cover reading of "Moby-Dick" will also be available to view in real-time online.

McMullen said there's an uncanny connection between Melville's existential tale and the very strange last three years we've been living through. “As you listen to 'Moby-Dick' read out loud, you start to realize the symbolism that relates to a lot of the things we've all experienced,” she mused. “Isolation, fear, sickness, death, deceit — all kinds of concerns of the human condition.”

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Andrea Shea Correspondent, Arts & Culture
Andrea Shea is a correspondent for WBUR's arts & culture reporter.

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