Virginia Woolf: A Biography [Paperback]

Quentin Bell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harvest Book, Hb 269 | Publication Date: March 20, 1974

The first full-scale biography of the eminent British writer, written by her nephew. Index; photographs.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JULIA BRIGGS is a professor of English at De Montfort University in Leicester, England. She was professor of Woolf studies at Hereford College, Oxford, for many years and is currently the editor of the reprint series of Woolf's novels. She lives in Leicester.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (March 20, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156935805
• ISBN-13: 978-0156935807
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

126 of 129 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive source..., March 31, 2001

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Virginia Woolf: A Biography (Paperback)

I read VIRGINIA WOLFE: A BIOGRAPHY by Quentin Bell after I had read several other books about Wolfe. I was pleased to discover that Bell included some of the more unsavory aspects of Woolfe's life even though he was a blood relative and wrote his book in an age that frowned on revealing "dirty" family secrets. I am referring to the presumed incestuous behavior of Woolfe's brothers towards Virginia and Vanessa.

Quentin Bell was the son of Virginia's sister the artist Venessa Bell. Virginia and Vanessa were the daughters of the very prominent English Victorian Leslie Stephen. Stephen married Virginia's mother Julia after her first husband Herbert Duckworth died. The brothers accused of incest were sons from the first marriage and much older than Virginia who was the next to the youngest child of Julia and Leslie.

Much has been written about the end of Virgina's life, how she placed several heavy stones in her pockets and walked into the river Ouse near her home and drowned herself in the early 1940s. As recently as last week on Garrison Keilior's "Writer's Almanack" on NPR on the anniversary of her birth this event was mentioned again as if it was the only thing she ever did of interest.

But Virginia did not take her life easily. She had survived some horrific events including the death of her beloved brother Thoby--her closest sibling, and the deaths of many other loved persons during WWI, as well as the death of Lytton Strachey her best friend. Moreover, at the time of her death, her London home in Bloomsbury had been bombed and Hitler was threatening to invade England. Virginia's husband Leonard was Jewish and they were both aware of what Hitler was doing to the Jews.

The most wonderful aspect of Bell's book is that he tells the complete story of Virgina's life--how she coped with sorrow and used her life experiences to frame her art. She was probably the most original writer of the 20th Century, and much of the glory that went to James Joyce should have gone to her. At the very least, she was his equal. She wrote in a 'stream of consciousness subjective voice' before James, but she wrote in an era when women writers found it difficult to become published. In fact, Virginia and Leonard started their own publishing press to deal with this deficiency. Even so, Virginia's work remained relatively obscure until it was "discovered" during the women's movement of the 1960's.

This is an illuminating, sad, and reflective book written by a man who knew and loved her. If you want to know more about Virginia Wolfe this is the place to begin.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Most Interesting Perspective, January 24, 2001

By 

kristy cacciapaglia (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Virginia Woolf: A Biography (Paperback)

An amazing and unique look at the life of Virginia Woolf, through the thoughts and studies of her own nephew--Quentin Bell. Filled with history, quotes, parts of letters and diary entries, this makes a wonderful and educational read. A peek into the society of Bloomsbury and beyond. This biography follows Virginia and all who were close to her through turbulent times and the happiness and stress of new households.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Nephew's Perspective, April 2, 2000

By 

Pamela J. Atwood (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Virginia Woolf: A Biography (Paperback)

Almost sixty years after Virginia Woolf's death, her image is chrystalized in numerous bodies of boigraphical works. Most writers who commemorate Woolf must write as an onlooker. Quentin Bell is unlike most biographers. Woolf was his aunt. Bell is able to capture the smallest peculiarity in Woolf's character. She was a central personality in his life. His childhood memories of her are particularly strong. He remembers that she was a wonderful as a child's companion. She understood the young better than any other adult. Bell says that Woolf was a first-rate story teller. She could frighten children, even if the story was not terribly scary. THe only shortcoming of Bell's biography is that it has no criticism of Woolf's writings. Bell's work is simply a reccolection. However, it is an interesting read and a lovely memior.