Herman Melville and Robert Browning?

Question

How can understanding their lives/works make someone a better writer?

Also what are some of their literary contributions and awards? Fun facts/quirks? Thanks.

Please seperate the two authors into different answers.

Answer 1

Well, Melville kind of failed as a writer. Also as a person. He was totally depressed and the only book he wrote that anyone reads is Moby d**k. He wrote Moby d**k and Billy Budd and even though he kept writing after that everyone kind of forgot about him because he sucked so much. Fun Fact: People say that there are homosexual undertones to some of his books. Crazy. Another Fun Fact: In his obituary they listed him as Henry Melville by mistake. I guess what you can learn from his life and work is that you should be a better writer than him so your life doesn't suck. I mean, have you read Billy Budd? It's horrendous. Also maybe "don't lose hope" because even if no one likes your novel [people in his time hated moby d**k] it still might become a Great American Novel after you die..