Virginia Woolf is one of the most influential — and perhaps misunderstood — writers in the history of English literature, as well as unquestionably one of the most important figures in feminist literature. Despite her brief life, the writer’s legacy is still as relevant as ever. Her books, writings, criticism, and campaign for educational reform have managed to make her a renowned subject of interest even over sixty years after her death, establishing her as a cornerstone in feminist and modern literature.

But behind the scenes, Virginia Woolf fought many battles as she tried to navigate life with her mental illness, cope with the rise of the Nazis, and establish herself as a woman and a writer in a man-dominated world. Here’s a look inside the turbulent life of Virginia Woolf.

Virginia Woolf: Family, Early Life & Education

1. When and where was Virginia Woolf born?

Virginia Woolf was born Adeline Virginia Stephen in South Kensington, London on January 25, 1882. Virginia Woolf carried the name of her mother’s eldest sister named Adeline Maria Jackson. Virginia’s first name was never used by her family because of the tragedy of her aunt Adeline’s death.

2. Virginia Woolf’s mother was a model

Julia Prinsep Stephen — Virginia Woolf’s mother — was a well-known philanthropist who was more famous for her beauty and sat as a model for many Pre-Raphaelite artists. Not to mention, Julia was also her aunt’s favorite model. Julia Stephen’s aunt was Julia Margaret Cameron, a well-known photographer whom Julia posed for more than 50 photos.

3. Julia Margaret Cameron was Virginia Woolf’s great aunt

Julia Margaret Cameron is a big name in photography circles who is known for her stunning 19th-century portraits that look like could have been taken yesterday. She is Virginia Woolf’s great aunt, and pretty inspiring in her own right. Julia Margaret Cameron didn’t really start taking pictures until she was 48 years old, and ended up taking portraits of famous dudes like Charles Darwin. Anyone interested in photography should totally look up the work of Julia Margaret Cameron.

Click to buy Julia Margaret Cameron: The Complete Photographs

4. Virginia Woolf’s parents were both widowed

Julia Stephen was married to Herbert Duckworth, who died from an undiagnosed internal abscess, leaving Julia widowed with three infant children (George, Gerald, and Stella). As for Julia’s father, Leslie Stephen, he was previously married to Harriet Marian Thackeray, who died from eclampsia, leaving him with one daughter named Laura Stephen.

5. Sadly, Virginia Woolf was molested by her half-brothers

Although Virginia Woolf left diaries, memoirs, and letters that detailed her childhood trauma, one of the most important truths of Woolf’s upbringing should not be overlooked: the fact that she was sexually molested, which has been brushed away by her biographers. Virginia Woolf was born into a Victorian household where incest was frequent, is believed to have been molested by her two half-brothers, including George Duckworth. It has been suggested that this led to a lifetime of justifiable sexual fear and resistance to masculine authority. A little-known book called Virginia Woolf: The Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Her Life and Work was published by Louise A. DeSalvo in 1990, and is pretty much the only biography of the author that confronts this otherwise sadly-ignored fact.

6. Virginia Woolf’s half-sister was locked in an asylum

Laura Stephen was Virginia Woolf’s half-sister, and she had a challenging development, suffering from mental deficiency, emotional instability, and slow development. Sir Leslie Stephen and Virginia’s mother, who were without the means and information accessible that parents of disabled children have today, finally had Laura admitted to the Earlswood Asylum (which once had the unfortunately insensitive name of The Asylum for Idiots and Imbeciles) in 1893. Laura Stephen resided there for 4 years until being placed in private care at a home where she died in 1945.

7. Virginia Woolf had 3 full siblings

The Stephens household was a full one. In addition to 4 half-siblings, Virginia Woolf had 3 more siblings. As soon as Laura and Leslie Stephen were married, the couple gave birth to Vanessa, Virginia’s older sister. A year later, Thoby joined the picture, and Virginia Woolf was born a year after in 1882. Lastly, her brother Adrian was born a year after Virginia. 

8. The Stephens didn’t want that many kids

The Stephens literally had no room in their household and even had to contact an architect to build an extra floor in their house for more living space. After Vanessa’s birth, Laura and Leslie decided to limit their family to the 5 kids they already had in their care. However, thanks to the faulty contraception methods of that era, Virginia and her siblings were born.

9. Virginia Woolf and her siblings grew up with a sense of rivalry

Virginia Woolf envied her brother Adrian for being their mother’s favorite and constantly competed with him for her attention. As for Virginia and Vanessa, the two sisters were considered creatives (writing and art respectively), so naturally, a spark of rivalry was constant between them.  Virginia would later write about it saying, “Indeed one of the concealed worms of my life has been a sister’s jealousy – of a sister I mean.”

10. Virginia Woolf had a standing desk before they were popular

Perhaps it was the rivalry between Virginia and Vanessa — who was a painter and also created her art standing up — that made Virginia Woolf start writing at a 3’6″ standing desk with a sloping top. Virginia Woolf was concerned that her work would seem less difficult than her sisters’ if she did it sitting down. She also went as far as stepping away from her writings to get a better look, as if she were a painter contemplating over her canvas. Virginia Woolf isn’t the only famous writer who used a standing desk: Ernest Hemingway and Charles Dickens were two others.

11. Her mother died when Virginia Woolf was 13

Julia Stephen became ill with influenza in February 1895 and never fully recovered, dying on May 5, 1895. This was a turning point in young Virginia Woolf’s life and the start of her battle with mental illness. Stella Duckworth, Virginia’s half-sister, returned promptly from abroad to take up Julia’s role.

12. Virginia Woolf was homeschooled

Like many young girls in the 19th century, Virginia Woolf wasn’t sent to a school even though her brothers were — something that Virginia would grow up to resent and rage against. Virginia and her sisters were homeschooled and educated by their parents, who created a small classroom in the back of their drawing-room.

13. Where did Virginia Woolf go to college?

Virginia Woolf enrolled in King’s College London’s Ladies’ Department from 1897 to 1901. Virginia Woolf studied Greek, Latin, German, and history with her sister Vanessa Bell, who went on to become a well-known artist. College was pivotal in Virginia Woolf’s intellectual development, meeting early reformers of women’s higher education and the women’s rights movement.

14. The Stephens summer destination was one of Virginia Woolf’s biggest inspirations

Summers at the Talland House on the outskirts of St Ives, Cornwall was often the highlight of Virginia’s year. In a diary entry, Virginia Woolf wrote: “Why am I so incredibly and incurably romantic about Cornwall? One’s past, I suppose; I see children running in the garden … The sound of the sea at night … almost forty years of life, all built on that, permeated by that: so much I could never explain.” Cornwall influenced her writing, particularly the “St Ives Trilogy” of Jacob’s Room (1922), To the Lighthouse (1927), and The Waves (1931).

Life & Times of Virginia Woolf

15. Virginia Woolf had multiple breakdowns throughout her life

Virginia Woolf was prone to nervous breakdowns throughout her life. Virginia Woolf suffered from her first one when she was 15 years old, following the deaths of her mother and half-sister. Virginia Woolf experienced her second breakdown at the age of 22 following the death of her father, and was briefly hospitalized.

16. Virginia Woolf first attempted suicide after her father’s death

After surviving the deaths of her mother and half-sister Stella Duckworth, her father’s passing resulted in an even deeper sadness that felt way too much to handle for someone who was already in such a fragile mental state. Virginia Woolf attempted to jump out of a window of her family’s London house and fortunately, the window from which she leaped was not high enough to inflict her serious damage. Virginia Woolf was institutionalized for a brief time and soon returned home.

17. Virginia Woolf was very insecure about her appearance

Virginia Woolf suffered from anorexia, feeling that her body was horrible and that her mouth and stomach were undeserving of food. Virginia Woolf reportedly stated that she was depressed for a whole 24 hours when her brother-in-law Clive Bell made fun of her hat. Not being particularly fashionable, Virginia Woolf was always concerned about being appropriately dressed for the occasion. One thing that Virginia Woolf truly despised in life was being stared at or having her portrait taken.

18. Shopkeepers hated Virginia Woolf!

While Virginia Woolf had multiple talents, shopping was one thing she was not very good at. Virginia Woolf would wander in stores looking aimless, often arguing with shopkeepers over what products they had for sale and being very vocal about her opinion on what products they should have for sale. Just for fun, check out Virginia Woolf’s Shopping Tips.

19. Virginia Woolf might have been bipolar

Virginia Woolf was diagnosed with neurasthenia, a loose diagnosis that attempts to make sense of her irritability and emotional instability. However, today researchers believe that it’s likely that Virginia Woolf suffered from bipolar disorders that included intense periods of mania and depressed states.

20. Virginia Woolf occasionally suffered from hallucinations

In what’s now believed to be hallucinations accompanying a manic state, Virginia Woolf suffered from delusions one summer, believing that the birds were chirping in Greek and King Edward VII was uttering curses from behind nearby shrubbery.

21. Virginia Woolf had her teeth pulled to cure her mental illness

Her doctor was a dude named George Savage who believed in a common 1920s hypothesis that mental instability was caused by microorganisms in the roots of the teeth and recommended that Virginia Woolf have 3 teeth extracted. Obviously, Virginia Woolf wasn’t too happy with the failure of the treatment and was forced to wear fake teeth, hurting her self-esteem. Suing for malpractice wasn’t too common at the time, but Virginia Woolf channeled her anger by portraying him as the dumb, incompetent doctor in Mrs. Dalloway.

Click on the book cover to buy Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf in paperback!

22. Virginia Woolf was courted by Thoby’s friend

Thoby Stephen’s friend at Trinity College, Cambridge was Leonard Woolf, who was formally introduced to Virginia Woolf in 1904. Leonard made his first marriage proposal to Virginia Woolf in 1909 — but was rejected.

23. Leonard Woolf kept proposing to Virginia for 8 years

Since meeting in 1904, Leonard Woolf kept proposing to Virginia and being refused, while maintaining a friendship in the intervals. In 1912, he proposed to her; she asked for time to consider before rejecting his proposal once again. He continued to pursue Virginia Woolf until she wrote a letter in 1912 where she explained why she didn’t believe in marriage. Ironically, Virginia Woolf and Leonard Woolf were married only 5 months later.

24. Virginia Woolf’s 2nd suicide attempt was shortly after their marriage

Virginia Woolf’s first work, The Voyage Out, was published shortly after her marriage to Leonard. It should have been a happy moment in her life, but Virginia Woolf was suffering from despair, self-doubt, and fear of criticism for her new work. In 1913, only a few months into her marriage, Virginia Woolf attempted suicide for the second time by ingesting 100 grams of barbital. Virginia Woolf would have died if Leonard hadn’t brought two doctors to their home to pump Virginia’s stomach.

25. Virginia Woolf couldn’t really be wifed up

After her marriage to Leonard, Virginia Woolf decided to attempt taking up some responsibilities of the typical housewife. She decided she needed to learn some household skills, so Virginia Woolf enrolled at a cooking school. Soon later, she cooked her wedding band in a suet pudding by mistake. Virginia Woolf attempted to budget the daily household expenses at one time but quickly gave up, leaving it to her husband.

26. The neighborhood kids thought Virginia Woolf was a witch

Virginia Woolf caught the interest of the local kids in the neighborhood who were both terrified and intrigued by her. With her big floppy straw hat and due to the fact that she often sang to herself as she walked around the neighborhood, the kids thought she was a witch and that she could cast spells on them.

27. Virginia Woolf’s husband had a pet monkey that frequently pooped on his arm

Leonard Woolf had a pet monkey named Mitz, who was loathed by everyone except Leonard. In his biography of Virginia, Woolf’s nephew Quentin Bell stated that the monkey was “truly in love with Leonard and would spit out its jealousy upon the rest of humanity.” The monkey’s favorite hobby, according to Bell, appeared to be defecating on Leonard’s arm. It happened so frequently that Leonard had to waterproof the sleeves of his jacket. Virginia Woolf scholars are encouraged to check out his book.

Click on the book cover to buy Virginia Woolf: A Biography by Quentin Bell

28. Virginia and Leonard Woolf started the Hogarth Press publishing house

For some years, the couple had discussed establishing a publishing house, and around the end of 1916, they began making arrangements. The Hogarth Press began in 1917 in Richmond and later moved to Bloomsbury in London. Virginia Woolf’s publishing house was a hotspot for some of the most important cultural activities of the period, and Hogarth Press titles included novels by heavyweights like T.S. Eliot, Sigmund Freud, Katherine Mansfield, E.M. Forster, as well as the Woolfs themselves. The Hogarth Press is still in operation today under the Penguin Random House publishing conglomerate.

29. Virginia Woolf published writings by her rival in the Hogarth Press

Virginia Woolf was said to be envious of Katherine Mansfield’s distinctive writing style and described their rivalry as a “common certain understanding between us—a queer sense of being ‘like.’” Realizing the power of their unity, Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard published some of Katherine Mansfield’s work through the Hogarth Press, their publishing company. Katherine Mansfield returned the favor by critiquing one of Virginia Woolf’s manuscripts prior to its publication.

30. Virginia Woolf didn’t like James Joyce’s Ulysses

Virginia and Leonard turned Ulysses down for publication because it was impossible to print the entire book on their handpress. However, Virginia wasn’t a big fan of James Joyce’s book anyway and wrote in her diary: “I should be reading Ulysses, and fabricating my case for and against. I have read 200 pages so far – not a third; and have been amused, stimulated, charmed, interested, by the first two or three chapters – to the end of the cemetery scene; and then puzzled, bored, irritated and disillusioned by a queasy undergraduate scratching his pimples.” 

Click to read Ulysses and see for yourself!

31. Virginia and Leonard Woolf belonged to The Bloomsbury Group

The Bloomsbury Group began with ten members, most of whom were well-educated and from the upper-middle class. The group eventually expanded and involved more members who opposed Victorian values and were known for their open-minded sexual views, support for LGBT rights, women in the arts, pacifism, and free love. Members of the club included novelist E.M. Forster, Virginia’s sister Vanessa Bell, and her brother-in-law Clive Bell.  

32. Virginia Woolf was bisexual

During her marriage to Leonard Woolf, Virginia Woolf had several relationships with women, one of which stands out: her affair with Vita Sackville-West. On December 15, 1922, Virginia Woolf recorded in her diary that she had met “the lovely aristocratic Sackville-West last night at Clive’s. Not much to my severer taste … all the supple ease of the aristocracy, but not the wit of the artist.” Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf would later become lovers, best friends, and confidantes.

33. Virginia Woolf had a short relationship with her brother-in-law

Vanessa Bell, Virginia’s sister, found all her time consumed after giving birth to her first child, leaving her husband and sister feeling abandoned. To get back at her for ignoring them, they began flirting with one other, eventually proceeding to some explicit letters. Obviously, Vanessa was upset when she discovered this. Even the open-minded members of The Bloomsbury Group didn’t approve and began warning them in letters. VirginiaWoolf eventually recognized that this was significantly harming her relationship with her sister, but the damage had already been done, and the tension remained between the two sisters for the rest of her life.

34. Virginia Woolf and her friends made a suicide pact in case the Nazis came

Virginia Woolf got increasingly uneasy as World War II approached. After the rest of Europe had surrendered to the Nazis, an invasion of Britain appeared inevitable. She and Leonard, like most of their group, were anti-war, and they were especially concerned about what would happen if the Nazis attacked England, and how the Nazis would treat them due to her husband’s Jewish origin. In fact, they were already on Himmler’s list for immediate arrest. With this in mind, they formed a suicide pact in case the Nazis did manage to enter.

What Books did Virginia Woolf write?

35. Virginia Woolf’s first published piece of writing was about the Brontë sisters. 

Virginia Woolf made her publication debut on December 21st, 1904, with the article “Haworth, November 1904,” which was published in The Guardian. Virginia, who admired the literary Brontë sisters, penned the article after visiting their family home. In the article, she wrote about how thrilled she was to find the little oak stool “which Emily carried with her on her solitary moorland tramps, and on which she sat, if not to write, as they say, to think.”

36. When did Virginia Woolf publish her first novel?

Virginia Woolf published her first novel The Voyage Out on March 26, 1915, when she was 33 years old. It was published under her half-brother’s publishing company Gerald Duckworth and Company Ltd. The Voyage Out took a lengthy and tough writing process as it was written in a time when Virginia Woolf’s was particularly mentally vulnerable. It was initially titled Melymbrosia, but Virginia Woolf altered the title and the novel many times.

Click to buy The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf in paperback!

37. Virginia Woolf was warned against publishing the original version of The Voyage Out

The original manuscript of The Voyage Out had more frank political criticism on topics such as homosexuality, women’s suffrage, and colonialism. Virginia Woolf was warned by her colleagues that publishing such an outspoken critique of Britain could prove disastrous to her career as a writer. The manuscript was heavily edited until it became The Voyage Out and took its current form.

38. Orlando is considered a love letter from Virginia Woolf to Vita Sackville-West

Virginia Woolf’s 1927 novel Orlando follows a gender-crossing aristocrat who lives for 400 years. The book was dedicated to and inspired by Vita Sackville-West and her son later wrote of the novel: “The effect of Vita on Virginia is all contained in Orlando, the longest and most charming love letter in literature, in which she explores Vita, weaves her in and out of the centuries.”

Click to purchase Orlando by Virginia Woolf!

39. Jacob’s Room was inspired by her brother’s death

In 1906, tragedy struck again when her brother Thoby suffered typhoid illness while on a trip to Greece and died upon his return to England. Virginia Woolf put her sadness into her work, and his death is supposed to have inspired her 1922 novel Jacob’s Room.

Click on the book cover to buy Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf

40. In A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf imagines the life of Shakespeare’s sister

At one point in A Room of One’s Own, an essay based on two lectures Virginia Woolf delivered at university literary organizations in 1928, she constructs the character Judith Shakespeare, who is “as adventurous, as imaginative, as agog to see the world” as her brother, William. Virginia Woolf uses Judith’s story to explain how a boy and a girl of equal talents are not treated the same and how Judith will end up marrying for convenience while her brother will become a literary icon.

Click on the book to purchase A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf!

41. Virginia Woolf believed that To The Lighthouse was her best work

In 1927, Virginia Woolf Hogarth Press in London released To The Lighthouse. The book outsold all of Woolf’s prior works, and the earnings allowed the Woolfs to purchase a car. However, even before its success, Woolf titled it as “easily the best of my books,” and her husband Leonard believed it was a “‘masterpiece” and “a psychological poetry.”

Click to purchase To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf!

Virginia Woolf: Death & Legacy

42. When and how did Virginia Woolf die?

Virginia Woolf ultimately surrendered to her depression on March 28, 1941. She committed suicide by stuffing her coat pockets with rocks and walking into the River Ouse behind her house in Yorkshite. It would take three weeks for her body to be discovered. Virginia Woolf was 59 years old.

43. Virginia Woolf once said that her death would be the “one experience I shall never describe.”

Little did Virginia Woolf know, she would be leaving one of the most iconic letters behind. In her suicide note to her husband, Virginia Woolf wrote: “I feel certain I am going mad again. I feel we can’t go through another of those terrible times. And I shan’t recover this time.”

44. In her suicide note, Virginia Woolf attempts to comfort her husband

Virginia Woolf writes to Leonard saying: “I want to say that – everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can’t go on spoiling your life any longer.”

45. Virginia Woolf was buried in her backyard

Leonard Woolf had the body of Virginia Woolf cremated and placed her ashes under one of their backyard’s two intertwined Elm trees that they’d named after each other. When he died, his body was burned, and his ashes were buried next to Virginia’s.

46. The popularity of Virginia Woolf increased in the 1970s

Despite writing extensively on the challenges that women, particularly female authors, faced, Virginia Woolf did not really become a feminist symbol until the 1970s. Her work was rediscovered when the second-wave feminist movement gained traction and Virginia Woolf became the feminist icon she is today.

Final Thoughts about Virginia Woolf

Reflecting on Virginia Woolf’s remarkable literary achievements becomes even more amazing when we consider all the obstacles and illnesses she faced throughout her life. Virginia Woolf pioneered literary styles, defied the limitations put on women in the arts in the early 20th century, and dedicated her life to establishing the female literary perspective in a society that was dominated and controlled by men. All of this while fighting battles of her own. It is not only through the works of Virginia Woolf, but also through these battles that she fought as well, that Virginia Woolf will be forever remembered as a true literary icon.

Are some of the words in this blog post to hard for you? Then you should check out our guide What Kind of Dictionary Should I Buy? And/or better yet, our guide to buying the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary!

Interested in more lists of fun facts featuring literary superstars? Then click to read trivia about iconic writers like Oscar Wilde, Philip K. Dick, Jane Austen, Robert Louis Stevenson, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

*****This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. Thank you for reading!*****