John Donne- Brief Bio

John Donne was born on 22nd January 1572. He was born into a well-doing merchant family in London, United Kingdom. He attended the University of Oxford and later the University of Cambridge. He later practiced law.

He secretly married Anne More, the daughter of his master, which stamped all fortunes in his career. He expressed his love to Anne through several love poems and letters. Spending his later half in poverty, he wrote sermons that pulled the attention of people. He then died of stomach cancer on 31 March 1631.

John Donne is called the ideal Metaphysical poet. No wonder his poems are full of intellectual metaphors that make one think he could have been way ahead of his era. He is also considered to be the exemplary Romantic poet of his age, often exaggerating his path toward women. Most of his poems were knit with a witticism that people found obscure.

Some of his most famous works are ‘Death Not Be Found’, ‘The Good-Morrow’, ‘Holy Sonnets’, and more.

Sources:

Parfitt, George A. E. John Donne: A Literary Life. St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1989