John Donne

John Donne (1572–1631) was an English poet and preacher, the leading figure of what was later called metaphysical poetry. Raised a Catholic, he studied at Oxford and the Inns of Court, sailed with Essex against Cadiz and seemed destined for a court career until his secret marriage to Anne More in 1601 ruined his prospects for a decade. Ordained in the Church of England in 1615, he became Dean of St. Paul's in 1621 and a celebrated preacher. His love poems, Holy Sonnets, satires and elegies circulated in manuscript and appeared after his death; his Devotions upon Emergent Occasions and sermons appeared in his lifetime.