One Equal Light - An Anthology of the Writings of John Donne (Hardcover)

Foreword by Rowan Williams

John Donne's enormous legacy to English literature is of equal significance in prose and poetry, in writings both religious and secular. Most people, however, are familiar only with Donne's poetry; his prose remains largely unknown. "One Equall Light fills this gap by gathering together nearly one thousand extracts from Donne's sermons, letters, and other prose works.

Previously accessible only in hard-to-find scholarly books, these writings by Donne are important not only for their internal beauty and wisdom but also for the insight they provide into the man himself. In his prose Donne often speaks with a frankness and a passion not seen in his poetry. Twin themes run through this collection: humanity and divinity, the sacred and the secular, penetrating and informing each other. Readers will find here a worldly yet deeply spiritual figure whose character is complex and contradictory -- a creative, restless character possessing what Rowan Williams in his foreword calls a "wildly extravagant and often dark imagination."

The selection of texts is preceded by three important introductory essays by editor John Moses. The first sheds new light on Donne's life and explores his continuing relevance to readers today. The second highlights distinctive characteristics of Donne as poet, as propagandist, and as preacher. The third examines in depth Donne's final years as dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

A substantial, handsome book for both literary and religious shelves, for lovers of Donne's work and those new to it, "One Equall Light adds an important new dimension to our understanding of this literary giant.