Virginia Woolf

Among the writers of the twentieth century, Virginia Woolf stands out for her originality, emotional intensity, and devotion to her craft. Much of the commentary on her, though, has concentrated on her social world and the Bloomsbury circle. Julia Briggs turns that emphasis around and places Woolf's writing at the centre of her life.

Briggs reads that life through the work itself, drawing on the novels to build a new kind of biography. She also examines Woolf's reflections on how she made art, gathered from her letters, diaries, and essays. The result is a portrait of an artist that also considers what creativity is and how it operates.