New for Fall 2024, The Strange Genius of Ignatius Donnelly by Zachary Michael Jack, is now available in hardcover and e-book from Cornell University Press/Northern Illinois University Press.
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 positively defies categorization.
Called a crank and a pseudoscientist by some and a genius by others, Donnelly broke all the rules. 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.
“Zachary Michael Jack deftly places the forgotten nineteenth-century politician and author Ignatius Donnelly in the hub of a fascinating wheel with spokes twisting from Shakespeare to Atlantis to Donald Trump. Part sage, part crank, Donnelly resurfaces as nothing short of captivating.” –Curt Brown, Star Tribune history columnist and author of Minnesota 1918
“This extremely insightful book about one of the most interesting historical figures of the late nineteenth century is extraordinarily well researched and beautifully written.” –Jerry Prout, author of Chasing Automation
