May 14, 1925: “Mrs. Dalloway” By Virginia Woolf Was Published

On May 14, 1925, Virginia Woolf's novel "Mrs Dalloway" was published by The Hogarth Press. From the article:

"May 14, 1925: “Mrs. Dalloway” By Virginia Woolf Was Published
On May 14, 1925, “Mrs. Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf was published to critical acclaim. The novel is about a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a fictional high-society woman in post-World War I Great Britain. Known for her stream of consciousness style, as well as her ability to explore the rich interior worlds of her characters, Woolf is considered one of the most important writers of the 20th century. To this day, her books, including “Mrs. Dalloway,” “To The Lighthouse” and “A Room of One’s Own,” are considered “must reads” for lovers of literature and feminists alike. In 1998, writer Michael Cunningham based his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Hours,” on “Mrs. Dalloway.” It was subsequently turned into an Oscar-winning film in 2002 starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore.

Woolf was born Adeline Virginia Stephen in London, England on January 25, 1882. She grew up in a privileged family with seven siblings. Her father was a respected historian and writer, while her mother was a well-known artist’s model. Despite her elite upbringing, Woolf coped with her share of tragedy. By 1904, she had lost her father, mother and half-sister. Woolf experienced a debilitating mental breakdown after each death. She would spend the rest of her life grappling with mental illness.

Despite these devastating setbacks, Woolf studied at the Ladies’ Department of King’s College London. While learning Latin, Greek and German, Woolf also read many seminal feminist texts that profoundly influenced her own writing. In 1905, she officially began her writing career and soon joined the Bloomsbury Group, a circle of intellectuals and artists including E.M Forster, John Maynard Keynes and essayist Leonard Woolf. Virginia married Leonard in 1912 and she soon published her first three novels: “The Voyage Out” (1915), “Night and Day” (1919) and “Jacob’s Room” (1922). In that time, the Woolfs began their publishing house, Hogarth Press.

Her fourth novel, “Mrs. Dalloway,” received rave reviews. The story followed Clarissa Dalloway as she spends the day preparing for a party later that evening. In this day-in-the-life tale, Woolf masterfully employs her non-linear stream of consciousness style to interweave interior monologues of multiple characters. Additionally, her novel explores feminism, mental illness and homosexuality during the post-World War I period in England.

By her early 40s, Woolf was considered an important intellectual and feminist. She was a regular lecturer at colleges and universities. However, she continued to struggle with vicious bouts of debilitating depression. During World War II, the Woolf’s home was destroyed by a German bombing attack on London in 1940. Woolf was overcome by despair after the incident. Unable to recover, Woolf loaded her coat pockets with stones and drowned herself in the River Ouse on March 28, 1941. For a few decades, interest in Woolf’s writing waned. However, in the 1970s there was a renewed interest in her work. A new generation of feminist scholars and readers connected to her writing. Today, Virginia Woolf’s books continue to be an important part of the American literary canon."