Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)
Bio:
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Born January 25, 1882 in London, England
Daughter of Sir Leslie, a biographer, critic and scholar
Grew up in a distinguished family in a home frequented by important literary and
political figures of the time
Self-educated due to frequent illnesses and inability to go to school
Watching her half-sister and cousin struggle with mental illness had a profound
effect on Woolf, some biographers has suggested that Woolf was sexually abused
as a child which deeply affected her as well
Woolf had her first breakdown in 1895 after the death of her mother
Her sister-in-law died in 1902, her father died in 1904 following that she had a
second breakdown and attempted suicide, her brother died in 1906
Married Leonard Woolf, an economist, publisher, critic, and writer in 1912
Worked as an instructor in English and founded and operated the Hogarth Press
with her husband. Published authors such as Woolf, W. H. Auden, Forster,
Sigmund Freud, Robert Graves, Katherine Mansfield, H. G. Wells.
Leonard hoped the publishing and printing business would ease Virginia’s nerves.
The writing process was extremely taxing both physically and psychologically for
Virginia but she could rarely stop.
Virginia’s mental instability was fueled by her fear of rejection of the critics and
cycled with her writing.
Committed suicide by drowning
Work:
 Extremely prolific writer of essays, journals, letters and fiction
 Known for her stream-of-consciousness writing
 Her famous novel Mrs. Dalloway is often compared to James Joyce’s Ulysses