John Donne was born into a recusant Catholic family and died an Anglican churchman. Through the years, the style and tone of his poetry and prose was as colorful and dynamic as the course of his life. His father died when Donne was four years old, and the plague took his brother while in prison for his Catholic faith. He spent his youth travelling about Europe, squandering most of his significant inheritance and fighting in the Anglo-Spanish War. He lost his diplomatic post when he secretly married his superior’s niece, Anne Moore. Their 17-year marriage ended with Anne’s death, five days after their twelfth child was born. Donne then wrote his 17th holy sonnet (“Since she whom I loved hath paid her last debt . . . wholly on heavenly things my mind is set”). The tragedies Donne experienced—including the loss of six children—brought a somber tone to his writing as he lived out the rest of his life a priest and successful preacher.
Often regarded as the greatest of the metaphysical poets, his pen immortalized the phrases “no man is an island,” “death be not proud,” and “for whom the bell tolls.” His work explores both the depths of earnest Christian searching and the heights of blissful young love. This massive six-volume collection of the works of John Donne includes 158 of his sermons, his Holy Sonnets, and other selected elegies, poems, letters, and miscellaneous prose pieces.
In the Logos editions, Donne’s works are enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Connect Donne’s writing to Shakespeare, William Laud, and other contemporaneous literary and Anglican figures. Fully indexed texts enable powerful searches and near-instant search results. Take your study with you with free tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.