Library of Love
Channel: British Library
Date: 2021-03-14

The poetry of John Donne speaks of love and lovers with dazzling clarity, even though it's almost 400 years old. This event marking Valentine’s Day also celebrates the Library’s acquisition of the Melford Hall manuscript, a rare seventeenth-century volume of poetry by Donne, saved for the nation.

Join curator Dr Alex Lock and cultural historian Dr Fern Riddell in the vaults of the British Library, where they explore the gilt-edged volume and some of the 130 poems it contains. 

Learn about the mysterious leading light of the metaphysical poets John Donne: imprisoned husband and Member of Parliament, deacon of St Paul’s Cathedral, contemporary of Shakespeare and father of twelve. 

Followers of Cupid and fans of the late Tudor period will find this event brimming with eloquence and sonic intensity, as it traverses the peaks and troughs of literary desire.

Dr Alex Lock is Curator of Modern Archives and Manuscripts at the British Library. He has worked on major British Library exhibitions 'Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy' and 'Harry Potter: A History of Magic'. His most recent book Catholicism, Identity and Politics in the Age of Enlightenment was published by Boydell and Brewer in 2016.

Dr Fern Riddell is a historian and expert in sex, suffrage and entertainment in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. She advised on dramas for the BBC and ITV2 and appeared as an expert for Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky Arts and more. She hosts The History Channel's Podcast series #NotWhatYouThought and presented BBC 4's A Victorian Scandal: The Rudest Book in Britain.