Herman Melville

“Bartleby, the Scrivener” is a short story by Herman Melville, published between November and December 1853 in Putnam’s Magazine and later included in The Piazza Tales (1856). A Wall Street lawyer, accustomed to a methodical and uneventful life, hires Bartleby, a pale and silent young man, as a copyist. At first, Bartleby demonstrates an extraordinary dedication to his work. Everything changes when, upon being asked to collate some documents, the scrivener responds with a disconcerting phrase: “I would prefer not to.” From then on, every new request is met with Bartleby’s calm refusal, which begins to disrupt the office routine and his boss’s peace of mind.