The Strange Genius of Ignatius Donnelly: The Populist Who Debunked Shakespeare and Found Atlantis

Author:   Zachary Michael Jack
Publisher:   Cornell University Press
ISBN:  

9781501776939


Pages:   248
Publication Date:   15 September 2024
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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The Strange Genius of Ignatius Donnelly: The Populist Who Debunked Shakespeare and Found Atlantis


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Overview

The Strange Genius of Ignatius Donnelly sheds light on the inimitable life of a neglected figure in US political and literary history. The father of American Populism, lieutenant governor of Minnesota, People's Party candidate for vice president, popularizer of the Shakespeare authorship controversy, proponent of the Atlantis theory, and author of bestselling speculative fictions, Ignatius Donnelly (1831–1901) positively defies categorization. Called a crank and a pseudoscientist by some and a genius by others, Donnelly broke all the rules. When skeptics said he was too green for politics, he got elected Minnesota's youngest-ever lieutenant governor. When they said a politician who prized his Irish heritage could never ascend to national office in a state dominated by conservative Scandinavians, he proved his critics wrong again. As Zachary Michael Jack' shows, in the latter half of Donnelly's remarkable life, he generated more fame and infamy than he had as a combative congressman. In an uncanny reversal of the usual midcareer doldrums, Donnelly turned political defeat into an opportunity for personal and professional reinvention, remaking himself as a visionary author and a champion of people-first third-party politics. The man known by enemies and friends alike as the Sage of Nininger pushed through poverty and ignominious defeat to introduce the masses to surprising theories about ancient civilizations, world-ending comets, and cryptograms purported to reveal the true authorship of Shakespeare's plays. At root, The Strange Genius of Ignatius Donnelly reveals the story of a man unafraid to speak truth to power, consequences be damned.

Full Product Details

Author:   Zachary Michael Jack
Publisher:   Cornell University Press
Imprint:   Northern Illinois University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.907kg
ISBN:  

9781501776939


ISBN 10:   1501776932
Pages:   248
Publication Date:   15 September 2024
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

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Zachary Michael Jack is Professor of English at North Central College, and a former board member of the Midwestern History Association. He is the author of many books on the nexus of culture, politics, and place, most recently The Haunt of Home.

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