Author profile

Virginia Woolf

1882 - 1941

Best known work

  • Mrs Dalloway, 1925

Other well known work(s)

  • A Room of One's Own, 1929
  • To the Lighthouse, 1927

Genres

  • Fiction - Novels
  • Fiction - Short Stories
  • Plays
  • Biography / Autobiography
  • Politics / Philosophy / Essays

Nom de plume

Adeline Virginia Stephen, E V Olde

Social class

Upper class

Parental background

Father Leslie was an acclaimed writer and historian and her mother's family were doctors.

At publication of best known work

  • Age: 43
  • Marital status: Married
  • Number of children: 0

Physical description

Describing a photograph of Woolf as a child in 1894, Lyndall Gordon relates that "Virginia's face is long, her bones thin and delicate, and her observant eyes are rounded at their lower edge like pears". Later, "Stung by Mansfield's view of her as old-fashioned, Virginia Woolf cultivated an up-to-date image with shorn hair, lipstick, and lifted chin." (Lyndall Gordon, ODNB).

Did you know?

Woolf was dogged by depression and mental-health issues throughout her life, worsened by confinement to sanatoriums and various well-meant rest cures. In 1904 she threw herself from a window, overdosed in 1912 and finally drowned herself in 1941.

Additional information

The Virginia Woolf Society actively promotes Woolf's writing through a variety of events and publications. There is a wealth of information, including a biography under the 'resources' tab. The Virginia Woolf blog is equally as informative and offers a variety of posts of interest.

 

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Last edited: 22/01/2019 10:14:00