Books

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf is an extended essay first published on October 24, 1929. The essay is based on two lectures titled Women and Fiction that Virginia Woolf gave at two women’s colleges, Newnham and Girton College, in October of 1928. Angry about her own lack of an education and limited … Read more

The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf tells the story of a young woman’s journey of self-discovery on her father’s ship in South America. Published on March 26, 1915, just a few years after the Titanic disaster, the novel was possibly inspired or influenced by the famous maritime disaster. While the story is fiction, the characters … Read more

Despite her deep English roots, Virginia Woolf was a fan of American writers and felt they were superior to British writers. According to an article in the Dublin Review, Virginia wrote a number of essays praising American writers as modern, experimental and inventive. Virginia felt British literature in the 20th century was tired and worn-out … Read more

Virginia Woolf’s death in March of 1941 brought an end to her 29-year-long marriage to Leonard Woolf. After her death was announced in the press, Leonard, who had nursed Virginia through many years of mental breakdowns and suicide attempts, received a flood of condolence letters from friends and fans, yet he was inconsolable. According to … Read more

Virginia Woolf met fellow writer Vita Sackville-West in the early 1920s, the two women began a romantic affair that lasted for a number of years. Virginia and Vita first met at a dinner party hosted by Virginia’s brother-in-law, Clive Bell, on December 14, 1922. After learning that Vita was a writer, Virginia invited her to … Read more

Virginia Woolf, whose maiden name was Stephen, and Leonard Woolf first met while Virginia was visiting her brother Thoby at Trinity college around the year 1900. Noting the white dress and parasol she wore the day they met, Leonard declared she looked like “the most Victorian of Victorian young ladies.” The smart and beautiful young … Read more

When Virginia Woolf left her house on the last day of her life on March 28 in 1941, she left behind a note to Vanessa Bell, her sister, and a note to Leonard Woolf, her husband. The notes hinted that Virginia was going to kill herself but didn’t say how or where. Little did she … Read more

The following is a timeline of events in Virginia Woolf’s life: 1878: On March 26, 1878, Leslie Stephen marries Julia Prinsep Duckworth. 1879: On May 30, 1879, Vanessa Stephen is born to Leslie Stephen and Julia Prinsep Duckworth at Hyde Park Gate in London, England. 1880: On September 8, 1880, Julian Thoby Stephen is born … Read more

The Bloomsbury Group was a circle of writers, artists and intellectuals from the Bloomsbury district of London. Bloomsbury Group Members: The Bloomsbury Group originally started off with 10 members and later expanded: Virginia Woolf, writer E.M. Forster, writer Lytton Strachey, writer Leonard Woolf, writer Roger Fry, artist Vanessa Bell, artist Clive Bell, art critic John … Read more

Virginia Woolf was an ambitious and prolific author who wrote not only novels but also nonfiction books. Woolf, in fact, wrote so many groundbreaking, best-selling books that is often difficult for critics and fans to determine which is her best work. While many fans feel Woolf’s best-selling novel “Mrs. Dalloway” is her masterpiece, others claim … Read more