DONNE, JOHN

born , sometime between Jan. 24 and June 19, 1572, London, Eng. died March 31, 1631, London Donne, detail of an oil painting by an unknown artist after I. Oliver, c. 1616; in the leading English poet of the Metaphysical school and dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, London (162131). Donne is often considered the greatest love poet in the English language. He is also noted for his religious verse and treatises and for his sermons, which rank among the best of the 17th century. Additional reading R.C. Bald, John Donne: A Life, ed. by W. Milgate (1970, reprinted with corrections 1986), remains the definitive biography. An older but still valuable biography is Edmund Gosse (compiler), The Life and Letters of John Donne, 2 vol. (1899, reprinted 1959). John Carey, John Donne: Life, Mind, and Art, new ed. (1990), intertwines interpretations of Donne's writings and his life. Good introductions to the poetry are Wilbur Sanders, John Donne's Poetry (1971); Clay Hunt, Donne's Poetry: Essays in Literary Analysis (1954, reissued 1969); Arnold Stein, John Donne's Lyrics: The Eloquence of Action (1962, reprinted 1980); and Patricia Garland Pinka, This Dialogue of One: The Songs and Sonnets of John Donne (1982). M. Thomas Hester, Kinde Pitty and Brave Scorne: John Donne's Satyres (1982), offers an extended analysis of these early poems. A fine introduction to the prose is Evelyn M. Simpson, A Study of the Prose Works of John Donne, 2nd ed. (1948, reissued 1962). Kate Garther Frost, Holy Delight: Typology, Numerology, and Autobiography in Donne's Devotions upon Emergent Occasions (1990), offers a comprehensive analysis of Donne's most popular prose.