PROVINCETOWN – The Provincetown Public Library will celebrate the town’s rich whaling heritage by hosting the first annual Moby Dick Marathon Reading from April 22-24.
The 1851 work by Herman Melville chronicles the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, a massive white whale responsible for destroying his ship and severing his leg at the knee during a previous voyage.
Provincetown’s whaling history dates back to the early 1800s.
Seeking to fill the overwhelming oil market demand, skilled Portuguese seamen settled in Provincetown.
At the height of the whaling industry, more than 160 vessels called Provincetown home and brought prosperity to the town, and by 1870, Provincetown was ranked as one of the richest towns in Massachusetts.
More than 120 participants will gather at the Provincetown Public Library to read the great American novel aloud for more than a combined total of 24 hours.
The marathon will be the latest entry in a series of new annual events created by the Board of Library Trustees focused on expanding Provincetown’s involvement in national literary, art and academic communities.
The Moby Dick Marathon reading will be held in the Library’s Marc Jacobs Reading Room on April 22 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., April 23 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and April 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission to all three days of the marathon is free.
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