Super-Infinite

The Transformations of John Donne

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Super-Infinite

By: Katherine Rundell

Narrated by: Jamie Parker

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About this listen

'Every page sparkles.' Claire Tomalin
'Crackling with gusto and sympathetic intelligence' Andrew Motion
'A triumph.' Matt Haig
'Stylish, scholarly and gripping' Rose Tremain

John Donne lived myriad lives.

Sometime religious outsider and social disaster, sometime celebrity preacher and establishment darling, John Donne was incapable of being just one thing. He was a scholar of law, a sea adventurer, an MP, a priest, the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral - and perhaps the greatest love poet in the history of the English language. He converted from Catholicism to Protestantism, was imprisoned for marrying a high-born girl without her father's consent, struggled to feed a family of ten children and was often ill and in pain. He was a man who suffered from black surges of sadness, yet expressed in his verse electric joy and love.

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From a standout scholar, a biography of John Donne: the poet of love, sex, and death. In Super-Infinite, Katherine Rundell embarks on a fleet-footed 'act of evangelism', showing us the many sides of Donne's extraordinary life, his obsessions, his blazing words, and his tempestuous Elizabeth times - unveiling Donne as the most remarkable mind and as a lesson in living.

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I encountered John Donne in A Level English in the mid 1970s. He was one of a large number of great writers I came to know, and understand, a little, due to the enthusiasm and effort of two great teachers we had at our school, a boys Catholic grammar school in Essex. I'm afraid our paths did not cross much since then. This book reminded me of why he was truly one of the greatest of the English poets, and revived and renewed my respect and regard for his poetic legacy. I was less familiar with the many challenges of his life, most would be aware of his bereavements, but the long periods of uncertainty, poverty, and even jail were not something I was aware of, and this book described these low points well. I think it might help to have encountered his poetry before reading this book, but I would not deem it a necessary prerequisite. It does go deep in many places, which can be a little difficult for an audio book, since the complexity of the ideas might require a review here and there, so be prepared to click back and forward a fair bit. The author is respectful and affectionate, and thankfully does not go down the woke "dead white men" rabbit hole too much. It's a challenging listen, but like Donnes work itself, very worthwhile since the intellectual rewards outweighs the effort undertaken by the reader/listener. Narrator, just spot on, well prepared, no mispronunciatons, and reads the poetic interludes with the correct emphases and appropriate tone.