Marblehead, the Melancholy Maritime Muse

From the 18^th century to the present, Marblehead’s landscape and lore have inspired poetry and prose by Longfellow, H.P. Lovecraft, and many others. Local literary scholar and author Tom Connolly talks about these and other writers who have been bewitched by the ‘good ol’ town.’

Tom Connolly is professor emeritus of humanities and social sciences and senior fellow laureate of the Center for Futuristic Studies at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University. He is the author of three books and dozens of articles. He has been a theater and film critic, a pop culture commentator on GBH’s “Callie Crossley Show,” and a consultant for the BBC, The New Yorker, The New York Times, CBS, PBS, and NPR. Twice a Fulbright senior scholar, Connolly is the recipient of the Parliamentary Medal of the Czech Republic.