Virginia Woolf — most know the name, but few know the obscure biographical facts behind the name. Today, for example, is the day of her birth. To celebrate the 59 years that Woolf spent observing and writing about our world, we bring you 59 tidbits about her life. So, go ahead! Get better acquainted with one of the 20th century’s most important authors after the jump.
1. As a child, it took Woolf longer than usual to begin speaking in coherent sentences.
2. For a time, Woolf wrote while standing at a desk 3’6″ tall because she wanted to be like a painter who could instantly step away from her canvas to get a better view.
3. While still in the nursery, she was nicknamed “The Goat.”
4. Woolf first tried to kill herself at the age of 22 by jumping out of a window. The window she jumped from, however, was not high enough to cause serious harm.
5. While writing her first novel, The Voyage Out, Woolf asked friends and relatives for advice whenever she got stuck or had doubts. After that, no one was allowed to see her manuscripts until they were finished.
6. Woolf’s dog, Hans, was known for interrupting parties by getting sick and relieving itself on the hearthrug.
7. As a child, Woolf was a formidable bowler.
8. Woolf once discovered a diary she had written during one particular sane and lucid period in her life, and laughed upon rereading it.
9. Woolf was highly critical of her friends’ eating habits at the dinner table, often reproving them for eating with either too little grace or too much enthusiasm.
10. Woolf once said that her death would be the “one experience I shall never describe.”
Comments (25)
Did you just make some of these up?
Minor correction: On sentence 37, it should read “7 years old”, without the hyphens.
>> friend’s eating habits
Do you mean friends’ eating habits?
What IF Virginia Woolf DID describe her death: “Terrible it is this insidious melancholy that walks alongside of me. Then, one day, I came across the event quite by providence. I read of a small boy who happened on a train wreck. The child went around to each body and placed small stones on the eyes of the dead.
It was a quandary as to why he did this and than a light came on: it is better to go into death blind. To go without any preconceived idea as to what awaits the passage of the spirit. So, indeed my heart feels light for first time in many months. I shall go to the river weighted down with stones, my very eyes in my pockets, and slip into the deep.”
@ Lily Briscoe: No. None. Plenty of biographies have been written. The one by Quentin Bell, Woolf’s nephew, is a good one.
@ Camila Pedraza: Thanks!
@ Eric B: Thanks!
@ Chris Roberts: Interesting!
Most of this is mundane or meaningless trivia. Some facts are suggestive I guess, but her writing is much more important than who she was. Its the same with Hemingway. It perpetuates the myth that writing leads to suicide when really for most of us writing leads to nothing.
oh, considering the website I was expecting 59 different pages for the facts. online “journalism” at its finest here.
I enjoyed this post immensely. Virginia Woolf has never been my favorite author, but I liked her work well-enough. Her life, however, was always more fascinating to me. Thanks for the post.
I agree with Isaac. I liked the idea and I’m a big Virginia Woolf fan, so I read through it, but unfortunately I feel like I just wasted 10 minutes.
The painter she wanted to be like when she stood to write was her sister, Vanessa.
About not caring for modern art — truly? What have I missed? VW consorted w/ painters, especially, of course, Vanessa, and was so close to Roger Fry, who practically invented the idea of “Modern Art” in England, and photos of the various Bloomsbury flats show amazing Fauve and Primitive wall coverings and fabrics — I just never even considered her being indifferent to it all. Would love to know more about this…
[...] list of 59 Things you didn’t know about Virginia Woolf. Well, I certainly didn’t know [...]
People who felt this was trivial or a waste of time seem to be blind to meaning. For example, the rhythm of The Waves was influenced by Beethoven’s late quartets. I was touched by many of the personal details.
We have them all and the prices are low. This week we are selling most complete lists for under $100. Contact me here for details: mark@greatdatadirect.Co.CC
awesome. that makes about 58 facts about virginia woolf that I didn’t know. thanks for posting these. it was an interesting walk through.
[...] 10. 59 Things You Didn’t Know About Virginia Woolf [...]
[...] Woolf listened to Beethoven’s late quartets while writing The Waves (see Flavorwire’s post 59 Things You Didn’t Know About Virginia Woolf for more tidbits). And check out what author Michael Cunningham has to say about music and [...]
[...] 59 Things You Didn’t Know About Virginia Woolf [...]
[...] naujų ir senų tekstų, bet ir įdomių nuorodų, pavyzdžiui, į puslapį, kuriame išdėstyti 59 dalykai apie Virginia Woolf, kurių jūs greičiausiai dar nežinojot arba, kad paskutinieji iš europiečių su Woolf tekstu savo kalba susipažino lietuviai - tai [...]
Je pense que cette site web était tres interessant. Elle m`a aidé beaucoup :)
You are the worst writer
You are the worst writer
http://instantloansoffers.com/p/60+day/key/60+day+loan/
So, Virginia Woolf wrote The Waves while listening to Beethoven’s Late String Quartets. An exalted pairing.
Thank you Paul for a nice article and no matter what the naysayers are writing; your writing skills are just fine.
Eric B, did you mean “friends-eating habits”?
haha.
Post a new comment