Super-infinite by Katherine Rundell
It is refreshing to read a recounting of someone’s life that does not search for reasons behind their greatness. And instead focuses on the fragile moments in which luck and chance, more than anything, led to the creation of a fascinating personage. In this case, it is the personage of John Donne, a contemporary of Shakespeare.
Donne was remarkably witty and smart, and he wrote love poems so modern for their time that they remind you of Sabrina Carpenter lyrics. They wouldn’t be published until after his death, at which time he was one of the most influential preachers in the city of London.
The credit Rundell receives for the biography cannot be overstated. She writes not of one Donne, but of many Donnes, from the boy who lost his brother to the man who almost died in a debtor’s prison. She writes of him as a master of flattery, who wrote to wealthy women in hopes of securing money. And a witty intellectual, who wrote a satire attacking illogical biases. Rundell loves Donne, and it shows.
The book does Donne justice. Donne comes off as uniquely human, but that adds to his character. It mirrors Donne’s own works, which while deeply moving and often highly intellectual, are grounded in the reality of everyday life. The passion of both Rundell and Donne is infectious, and that is a big reason that I love this book.