The Secret Romance of John Donne and Anne More
Poet involved
What happened
John Donne, a brilliant young poet and secretary to the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, secretly married seventeen-year-old Anne More without her powerful father's permission. Sir George More was outraged, causing Donne to be briefly imprisoned, dismissed from his prestigious government post, and cast into deep financial ruin for over a decade. Despite severe poverty and the death of several children, the couple remained deeply devoted until Anne's death in 1617.
Literary impact
This intense real-world romance inspired Donne to write some of the most profound metaphysical love poetry in the English language, including 'The Canonization' and 'A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning'. Following Anne's death, Donne's devastating grief drove a profound transition from his early, passionate secular love lyrics to the intense, haunting spiritual themes found in his 'Holy Sonnets'.
Source: Wikipedia
