Bust of Virginia Woolf

myminifactory

This vibrant bust-portrait sculpture showcases Adeline Virginia Woolf (25 January 1882 – 28 March 1941), a British writer who dominated modernist literature in the 20th century as a trailblazer in using stream-of-consciousness narration. Born into an affluent family in South Kensington, London, Woolf was the seventh child of Julia Stephen, celebrated for her work as a Pre-Raphaelite artist's model, and Leslie Stephen, a renowned man of letters. Her father had one daughter from his previous marriage; their union produced four more children, including modernist painter Vanessa Bell. The boys in the family were educated at university while the girls received home schooling in English classics and Victorian literature. Woolf's early life was significantly influenced by the summer home her family maintained in St Ives, Cornwall, where she first saw the iconic Godrevy Lighthouse that would later feature prominently in her novel "To the Lighthouse" (1927). Woolf's childhood came to a sudden end in 1895 with the death of her mother and her initial mental breakdown, followed two years later by the passing of her stepsister and surrogate mother Stella Duckworth. From 1897-1901, she attended the Ladies' Department at King's College London, where she studied classics and history, and was exposed to pioneering women's rights advocates and early reformers. Other pivotal influences on Woolf's life were her Cambridge-educated brothers and unfettered access to their father's vast library. She began writing professionally in 1900, encouraged by her father, whose death in 1905 marked a significant turning point in her life and led to another breakdown. Following his passing, the family relocated from Kensington to Bloomsbury, where they adopted a more bohemian lifestyle. There, they formed the artistic and literary Bloomsbury Group with their brothers' intellectual friends. In 1912, Woolf married Leonard Woolf, and in 1917, they founded the Hogarth Press, which published much of her work. The couple maintained second homes in Sussex and moved there permanently in 1940. Throughout her life, Woolf struggled with recurring mental illness, including institutionalization and attempts at suicide. Her condition is now considered bipolar disorder for which effective treatment options were scarce during that time. Ultimately, in 1941, she took her own life by drowning herself in a river at the age of 59. During the interwar period, Woolf was a prominent figure within London's literary and artistic circles. She published her debut novel "The Voyage Out" through her half-brother's publishing house in 1915. Her most celebrated works include novels like "Mrs Dalloway" (1925), "To the Lighthouse" (1927) and "Orlando" (1928). Woolf is also renowned for her essays, including "A Room of One's Own" (1929). In this notable essay, she penned the now-famous dictum: "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." Woolf became a central figure in the 1970s feminist critique movement. Her works continue to be widely studied and translated into more than 50 languages. A substantial body of literature is dedicated to her life and work, with numerous plays, novels, and films exploring her legacy. However, some of Woolf's writing has been deemed offensive and criticized for its complex and contentious views, including anti-Semitism and elitism. Today, Woolf is remembered through statues, societies devoted to her work, and a building at the University of London dedicated in her honor.