Melville had visited the Holy Land in the winter of 1856 and traveled along the route he describes in Clarel. The visit immediately followed an October trip to England, where he had met his friend Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was U.S. consul in Liverpool.
Melville visited the Holy Land in 1856, detailing the route in Clarel. The trip was followed by an October journey to England where he met Nathaniel Hawthorne, then U.S. consul in Liverpool.