Super-Infinite | Katherine Rundell

Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne

Extended Synopsis

In Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, acclaimed scholar Katherine Rundell delivers a sparkling and remarkably modern biography of one of the English language's greatest poets. John Donne was a man incapable of being just one thing. Throughout his tempestuous life during the Elizabethan era, he transformed from a religious outsider and societal disaster into a celebrity preacher and establishment darling.

Rundell meticulously chronicles the many facets of Donne's extraordinary existence: a scholar of law, a daring sea adventurer, a devoted priest, and a member of Parliament. His personal life was equally dramatic, marked by a conversion from Catholicism to Protestantism, an imprisonment for marrying a sixteen-year-old girl without her father's consent, and constant struggles to feed a family of ten children amid frequent illness. Despite suffering from profound surges of misery, Donne managed to capture breathtaking expressions of electric joy, love, and human mortality in his verses. Unveiling Donne's obsessions and blazing words, this biography serves as both an exploration of a remarkable mind and a profound lesson in living.

Intended Audience

This biography is essential reading for students of English literature, poetry enthusiasts, and history buffs drawn to the complex lives of Renaissance and Elizabethan figures. It offers an accessible, fast-paced, and rigorously researched narrative perfect for anyone fascinated by the enduring power of language and the resilience of the human spirit.

Author Biography

Katherine Rundell is a highly regarded scholar and fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Known for her vivid, engaging prose and deep academic rigor, Rundell possesses a unique ability to bridge the gap between historical scholarship and highly readable, fleet-footed biographical narratives, bringing historical figures vividly back to life for modern audiences.

Accolades & Recognition

• Winner: 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
• Winner: 2022 Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize
• Shortlisted: 2023 Plutarch Award
• Named a Wall Street Journal Top 10 Best Book of 2022 and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
• Selected as Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, Times Literary Supplement, and Literary Hub.

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