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The Diary of Virginia Woolf #2
Diary of Virginia Woolf: Volume 2: 1920-1924
With an introduction by Adam Phillips
Monday 17 July 1922. Back from Garsington, & too unsettled to write - I meant to say read; but then this does not count as writing. It is to me like scratching; or, if it goes well, like having a bath - which of course, I did not get at Garsington.
1920. The war is over, and Virginia Woolf is meeting friends old and new, from Maynard Keynes to Vita Sackville-West. She is reading and reviewing voraciously, and the Hogarth Press is thriving. Jacob's Room was published in 1922, and Woolf began work on what was to become Mrs Dalloway. This was a time of creative highs and lows, as well as a growing confidence as Woolf developed her distinctive literary voice.
Monday 17 July 1922. Back from Garsington, & too unsettled to write - I meant to say read; but then this does not count as writing. It is to me like scratching; or, if it goes well, like having a bath - which of course, I did not get at Garsington.
1920. The war is over, and Virginia Woolf is meeting friends old and new, from Maynard Keynes to Vita Sackville-West. She is reading and reviewing voraciously, and the Hogarth Press is thriving. Jacob's Room was published in 1922, and Woolf began work on what was to become Mrs Dalloway. This was a time of creative highs and lows, as well as a growing confidence as Woolf developed her distinctive literary voice.
585 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 24, 1978
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About the author
Virginia Woolf
1,821 books28.7k followers(Adeline) Virginia Woolf was an English novelist and essayist regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century.
During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929) with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929) with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
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October 7, 2025
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“Como me gustaría que este diario se convirtiera algún día en un diario de verdad, algo en lo que yo pudiera observar cambios o detectar la formación de estados de ánimo; pero, en ese caso, tendría que hablar del alma y ¿acaso no me prohibí hablar del alma cuando lo empecé?”
Es cierto que es una de las cosas que más me sorprendieron cuando leí el 1º volumen deestos diarios, precisamente que VW no se detuviera en las cuestiones del alma o por lo menos que el diario no hubiera tenido un tono más introspectivo, que realmente es lo que supongo lo que llevará a la gente a llevar un diario, soltar en sus páginas las cuestiones más intimas, las ligadas al alma. Tal como comenté en la crónica del primer volumen de eso no había mucho sino más bien cotilleos, cuestiones domésticas, reuniones sociales, etc y sin embargo, en este segundo volumen la cosa ha cambiado drásticamente y aquí ya me he encontrado con lo que iba buscando cuando comencé estos diarios y es precisamente lo que ilumina el proceso de escritura de VW. “¡Qué elíptico se vuelve este cuaderno! Ya no respeto ni los acontecimientos.” Ella misma confesaba que los diarios no eran otra cosa que sus cuadernos de prácticas a la hora de hacer volar su escritura y en este volumen llega a admitir, que El cuarto de Jacob y La Señora Dalloway, si llegaron a cobrar vida, fue gracias a este diario, y se nota perfectamente tal como ella dice, ese carácter elíptico, eso de saltar de las cuestiones domésticas o sociales a su propio proceso de escritura, al reconocimiento de sus estados de ánimo y hasta qué punto podía ir modelándolos en beneficio de su escritura. "Me pregunto, entre paréntesis, si yo también recurro tan abiertamente a la autobiografía & y lo llamo ficción." Así que llego a la conclusión de que al mismo tiempo que va habiendo una evolución en su obra, esto es gracias a que sus diarios se van moviendo y a la vez van transformándose: la prosa del diario refleja en lo que se va convirtiendo su escritura, a veces brillante, a veces mordaz, pero siendo ella misma muy consciente de esta evolución.
"Pero vayamos más allá, ¿Tengo el poder de transmitir la auténtica realidad? o ¿escribo ensayos sobre mi misma? Sea cual sea la respuesta, aunque sea negativa, perdura la emoción."
Los diarios están capturando la inmediatez de la vida diaria de VW, no solo en su día a día sino su inmediatez intelectual, la forma en que iba evolucionando su voz narrativa. En estos años entre 1920 y 1924, periodo de entreguerras, nos encontramos precisamente a la escritora en un momento crucial de su vida, unos años de transición, justo acababa de publicar Noche y Día con Duckworth Publishing, la editorial de su hermano por parte de madre, y estaba a punto de abandonarla para publicar su siguiente novela, El cuarto de Jacob, en la editorial que creó con su marido, la Hogarth Press. "Sea como sea, tengo que dejar de seguir escribiendo para los editores." El abandono de Duckworth Publishing supuso una liberación para ella en el sentido de que sabía que le era imposible encontrar su propia voz sintiendo las presiones y la censura de Duckworth, una presión que igual se imponía ella misma a la hora de no atreverse a correr riesgos narrativos pero es evidente que este momento de inflexión supuso para ella la libertad porque en estos cuatros años siguientes publica El cuarto de Jacob y termina La señora Dalloway, y de ello son testigo estos diarios:
“Yo diría que Duckworth está un poco molesto conmigo. Olfateo mi libertad. Creo, de verdad, sensata & no artificialmente, de cara al público, que continuaré adelante haciendo caso omiso de lo que los demás puedan decir. Por fin, disfruto leyendo mi propio trabajo. Me parece que encaja conmigo mucho mejor que antes.”
La tensión que vivía VW entre sus momentos de dudas y confianza aparece perfectamente reflejado en este volumen segundo porque iremos viendo la transformación de su proceso creativo, no tanto en como creó sus novelas, sino en como iba evolucionando el mismo diario y este diario es el reflejo, la prueba inmediata, sobre la marcha, de un autor en pleno proceso creativo. Su prosa elíptica mostrando la tensión emocional e intelectual que sentía en su escritura aparece aquí perfectamente registrado, casí más que en sus novelas o ensayos, su estilo se muestra aquí sin filtros, muy consciente de que estaba creando una voz propia y única, "Una se pone a trabajar directamente, como alguien que camina y ve el campo extenderse ante sí. No quiero escribir nada en este libro que no disfrute escribiendo. Sin embargo, escribir siempre es difícil." Es un diario fragmentado que capta a la perfección sus estados de ánimo y como esto incidirá en sus obras. Estos cuatro años fueron además un momento de estabilidad en sus crisis de salud, intuyo que también gracias al hecho de que su trabajo en la Hogarth Press la mantenía muy ocupada y motivada.
"Parece que no acabo de conseguir el éxito en ningún lugar, pero me alegra descubrir que he adquirido un poco de filosofía, que se resume en una cierta sensación de libertad. Escribo lo que me gusta escribir & y eso es todo."
El diario a veces registra sus intentos de autogestión, equilibrando la lectura, los paseos, el descanso y la escritura en dosis cuidadosamente medidas para mantenerse ocupada y evitar los bajones. La atención de Leonard Woolf es una presencia constante, ya que su continua preocupación en regular su rutina probablemente evitó colapsos más graves de los que había tenido anteriormente. Este segundo volumen de sus diarios me parece ya esencial para comprender esta evolución artística, y el universo que habitó. No es tanto ya el análisis de la sociedad, sino la conciencia y la seguridad que fue adquiriendo en su escritura "Llevo un año tratando de descubrir lo que llamo mi etapa de perforación del túnel, por medio de la cual voy contando el pasado por entregas, conforme lo voy necesitando", lo que da auténtico valor a estos diarios porque a medida que les dedicaba tiempo sus páginas le proporcionaron el espacio para experimentar. Un retrato de mujer complejo, frágil, crudo y fuerte a la vez, una observadora no solo del mundo literario y cultural de sus tiempos sino de su propia alma: "Mientras escribo, en algún lugar de mi cabeza surge esa excitación extraña & muy agradable de algo que quiero escribir: mi propio punto de vista."
"¿Por qué será tan trágica la vida y tan parecida a un estrecho tablón sobre un abismo? Miro hacia abajo y siento vértigo. Me pregunto cómo voy a caminar hasta el otro extremo.
Y a pesar de todo, qué feliz soy... si no fuera por esa sensación de estar en un tablón sobre el abismo."
♫♫♫ Domestic Scene - The Radio Dept ♫♫♫
“Como me gustaría que este diario se convirtiera algún día en un diario de verdad, algo en lo que yo pudiera observar cambios o detectar la formación de estados de ánimo; pero, en ese caso, tendría que hablar del alma y ¿acaso no me prohibí hablar del alma cuando lo empecé?”
Es cierto que es una de las cosas que más me sorprendieron cuando leí el 1º volumen deestos diarios, precisamente que VW no se detuviera en las cuestiones del alma o por lo menos que el diario no hubiera tenido un tono más introspectivo, que realmente es lo que supongo lo que llevará a la gente a llevar un diario, soltar en sus páginas las cuestiones más intimas, las ligadas al alma. Tal como comenté en la crónica del primer volumen de eso no había mucho sino más bien cotilleos, cuestiones domésticas, reuniones sociales, etc y sin embargo, en este segundo volumen la cosa ha cambiado drásticamente y aquí ya me he encontrado con lo que iba buscando cuando comencé estos diarios y es precisamente lo que ilumina el proceso de escritura de VW. “¡Qué elíptico se vuelve este cuaderno! Ya no respeto ni los acontecimientos.” Ella misma confesaba que los diarios no eran otra cosa que sus cuadernos de prácticas a la hora de hacer volar su escritura y en este volumen llega a admitir, que El cuarto de Jacob y La Señora Dalloway, si llegaron a cobrar vida, fue gracias a este diario, y se nota perfectamente tal como ella dice, ese carácter elíptico, eso de saltar de las cuestiones domésticas o sociales a su propio proceso de escritura, al reconocimiento de sus estados de ánimo y hasta qué punto podía ir modelándolos en beneficio de su escritura. "Me pregunto, entre paréntesis, si yo también recurro tan abiertamente a la autobiografía & y lo llamo ficción." Así que llego a la conclusión de que al mismo tiempo que va habiendo una evolución en su obra, esto es gracias a que sus diarios se van moviendo y a la vez van transformándose: la prosa del diario refleja en lo que se va convirtiendo su escritura, a veces brillante, a veces mordaz, pero siendo ella misma muy consciente de esta evolución.
"Pero vayamos más allá, ¿Tengo el poder de transmitir la auténtica realidad? o ¿escribo ensayos sobre mi misma? Sea cual sea la respuesta, aunque sea negativa, perdura la emoción."
Los diarios están capturando la inmediatez de la vida diaria de VW, no solo en su día a día sino su inmediatez intelectual, la forma en que iba evolucionando su voz narrativa. En estos años entre 1920 y 1924, periodo de entreguerras, nos encontramos precisamente a la escritora en un momento crucial de su vida, unos años de transición, justo acababa de publicar Noche y Día con Duckworth Publishing, la editorial de su hermano por parte de madre, y estaba a punto de abandonarla para publicar su siguiente novela, El cuarto de Jacob, en la editorial que creó con su marido, la Hogarth Press. "Sea como sea, tengo que dejar de seguir escribiendo para los editores." El abandono de Duckworth Publishing supuso una liberación para ella en el sentido de que sabía que le era imposible encontrar su propia voz sintiendo las presiones y la censura de Duckworth, una presión que igual se imponía ella misma a la hora de no atreverse a correr riesgos narrativos pero es evidente que este momento de inflexión supuso para ella la libertad porque en estos cuatros años siguientes publica El cuarto de Jacob y termina La señora Dalloway, y de ello son testigo estos diarios:
“Yo diría que Duckworth está un poco molesto conmigo. Olfateo mi libertad. Creo, de verdad, sensata & no artificialmente, de cara al público, que continuaré adelante haciendo caso omiso de lo que los demás puedan decir. Por fin, disfruto leyendo mi propio trabajo. Me parece que encaja conmigo mucho mejor que antes.”
La tensión que vivía VW entre sus momentos de dudas y confianza aparece perfectamente reflejado en este volumen segundo porque iremos viendo la transformación de su proceso creativo, no tanto en como creó sus novelas, sino en como iba evolucionando el mismo diario y este diario es el reflejo, la prueba inmediata, sobre la marcha, de un autor en pleno proceso creativo. Su prosa elíptica mostrando la tensión emocional e intelectual que sentía en su escritura aparece aquí perfectamente registrado, casí más que en sus novelas o ensayos, su estilo se muestra aquí sin filtros, muy consciente de que estaba creando una voz propia y única, "Una se pone a trabajar directamente, como alguien que camina y ve el campo extenderse ante sí. No quiero escribir nada en este libro que no disfrute escribiendo. Sin embargo, escribir siempre es difícil." Es un diario fragmentado que capta a la perfección sus estados de ánimo y como esto incidirá en sus obras. Estos cuatro años fueron además un momento de estabilidad en sus crisis de salud, intuyo que también gracias al hecho de que su trabajo en la Hogarth Press la mantenía muy ocupada y motivada.
"Parece que no acabo de conseguir el éxito en ningún lugar, pero me alegra descubrir que he adquirido un poco de filosofía, que se resume en una cierta sensación de libertad. Escribo lo que me gusta escribir & y eso es todo."
El diario a veces registra sus intentos de autogestión, equilibrando la lectura, los paseos, el descanso y la escritura en dosis cuidadosamente medidas para mantenerse ocupada y evitar los bajones. La atención de Leonard Woolf es una presencia constante, ya que su continua preocupación en regular su rutina probablemente evitó colapsos más graves de los que había tenido anteriormente. Este segundo volumen de sus diarios me parece ya esencial para comprender esta evolución artística, y el universo que habitó. No es tanto ya el análisis de la sociedad, sino la conciencia y la seguridad que fue adquiriendo en su escritura "Llevo un año tratando de descubrir lo que llamo mi etapa de perforación del túnel, por medio de la cual voy contando el pasado por entregas, conforme lo voy necesitando", lo que da auténtico valor a estos diarios porque a medida que les dedicaba tiempo sus páginas le proporcionaron el espacio para experimentar. Un retrato de mujer complejo, frágil, crudo y fuerte a la vez, una observadora no solo del mundo literario y cultural de sus tiempos sino de su propia alma: "Mientras escribo, en algún lugar de mi cabeza surge esa excitación extraña & muy agradable de algo que quiero escribir: mi propio punto de vista."
"¿Por qué será tan trágica la vida y tan parecida a un estrecho tablón sobre un abismo? Miro hacia abajo y siento vértigo. Me pregunto cómo voy a caminar hasta el otro extremo.
Y a pesar de todo, qué feliz soy... si no fuera por esa sensación de estar en un tablón sobre el abismo."
♫♫♫ Domestic Scene - The Radio Dept ♫♫♫
August 29, 2022
And so continue the adventures of Virginia Woolf. Lottie has lice, Katherine Mansfield has died, along with Joseph Conrad, and V. W. is learning Russian--albeit briefly. EM Forster sets off to and returns from India, eventually completing A Passage to India, and TS Eliot publishes The Waste Land. Enter Vita Sackville-West, who is just beginning to catch V. W.'s eye. The Hogarth Press has outgrown its boots and Virginia longs to live in London. She reads Ulysses (and hates it) as well as Marcel Proust, and finds her groove with Jacob's Room; Mrs. Dalloway follows closely on its heels. I still prefer V. W. in the country, baking cakes and picking sweet peas, which there is less of in this volume.
Not as interesting as the WWI years but it’s easy to forget that this was her life, arbitrarily divided into five volumes by an editor, and not merely the plot of some novel.
Not as interesting as the WWI years but it’s easy to forget that this was her life, arbitrarily divided into five volumes by an editor, and not merely the plot of some novel.
March 21, 2021
I have spent the past week or so reading the first two volumes of The Diary of Virginia Woolf, annotating, underlining, and enjoying myself thoroughly.
It’s most difficult to get started: Volume One can be tough in that you first have to grasp the cast of characters. Virginia obviously doesn’t introduce her diary to each friend; you are left to do some searching online to understand the context and history behind dramas and attachments. The footnotes specify things like that “Morgan” is EM Forster, for example, but often fail to provide necessary context—such as, Vanessa and Clive are married, but Vanessa is with the bisexual Duncan and Clive is with Mary.
But once you understand the cast, Woolf’s friend group is wildly fascinating—their open and polyamorous relationships, romantic and queer entanglements and break-ups, tangled web of drama, snubs, and critiques, all of it is a riot to read and uncover. Her deep friendship with Lytton, her tumultuous one with Clive, the rivalry with Katherine Mansfield that is both intensely loving and a source of never-ending conflict—they’re all so well expressed, and intensely felt.
Over the course of these two journals, Woolf grows more comfortable with her diary and shifts into the poetic voice that makes her diary so reflective and distinct, so rich with story-telling. She is dry and witty—her backhanded compliments and savage insults wrecked me several times. She writes of “taking my fences”—her determination to always strive, push, work, and takes this as the meaning of her life, and always pushes others to take risks and pursue work and happiness. She is charged by critique of her novels, as it reminds her that she writes for herself and no one else. In Volume 2, we enter the realm of Mrs Dalloway. Virginia falls into ‘headaches,’ bouts of depression and anxiety that she can scarcely recognize when they’re over.
Woolf’s diaries are vivid, engaging, and thought-provoking, and I was engaged throughout. Several times I wanted to reach through and speak to her—when she mentions, for example, while writing Mrs Dalloway, that critics accuse her of failing to make characters who last—or when she wonders if her novels are actually good or to be remembered. Excited for the rest of these volumes.
It’s most difficult to get started: Volume One can be tough in that you first have to grasp the cast of characters. Virginia obviously doesn’t introduce her diary to each friend; you are left to do some searching online to understand the context and history behind dramas and attachments. The footnotes specify things like that “Morgan” is EM Forster, for example, but often fail to provide necessary context—such as, Vanessa and Clive are married, but Vanessa is with the bisexual Duncan and Clive is with Mary.
But once you understand the cast, Woolf’s friend group is wildly fascinating—their open and polyamorous relationships, romantic and queer entanglements and break-ups, tangled web of drama, snubs, and critiques, all of it is a riot to read and uncover. Her deep friendship with Lytton, her tumultuous one with Clive, the rivalry with Katherine Mansfield that is both intensely loving and a source of never-ending conflict—they’re all so well expressed, and intensely felt.
Over the course of these two journals, Woolf grows more comfortable with her diary and shifts into the poetic voice that makes her diary so reflective and distinct, so rich with story-telling. She is dry and witty—her backhanded compliments and savage insults wrecked me several times. She writes of “taking my fences”—her determination to always strive, push, work, and takes this as the meaning of her life, and always pushes others to take risks and pursue work and happiness. She is charged by critique of her novels, as it reminds her that she writes for herself and no one else. In Volume 2, we enter the realm of Mrs Dalloway. Virginia falls into ‘headaches,’ bouts of depression and anxiety that she can scarcely recognize when they’re over.
Woolf’s diaries are vivid, engaging, and thought-provoking, and I was engaged throughout. Several times I wanted to reach through and speak to her—when she mentions, for example, while writing Mrs Dalloway, that critics accuse her of failing to make characters who last—or when she wonders if her novels are actually good or to be remembered. Excited for the rest of these volumes.
February 3, 2025
Olen lukenut Virginia Woolfin päiväkirjasarjan kakkososaa pitkään ja hartaasti, mutta lopulta loppupuoliskon ahmien. Tässä osassa ollaan vuosissa 1919-1924, ja päiväkirjan sivuilla seurataan mm. Mrs. Dalloway -romaanin syntyä. Henkilögalleria alkaa tulla tutuksi (ja olen muutenkin päättänyt, keitä on riittävän tärkeää seurata - Nessa-siskoa, hänen Clive-puolisoaan ja Duncan-rakastettuaan, heidän lapsiaan, Vita Sackville-Westiä), ja tärkeät maisemat - Monk´s house, Richmond, Tavistock Square. Kaikki tuntuu niin elävältä ja tärkeältä, arkiset huomiot suurten syvien oivallusten lomassa. Tätä lukiessa ei tarvitse erityisesti keskittyä, voi vain antaa huomion soljua sivulta toiselle, ja näin pääsee vahvasti elämään mukana.
Tämän osan alkupuolella kuvataan ystävyyttä Katherine Mansfieldin kanssa. On mahtavaa huomata, että Virginia on pikkumainen, ei pidä ystävän kirjallisuutta kummoisenakaan, hermostuu tämän saamista kehuista ja niin edelleen. Katherinen kuollessa surun tunteet eivät dominoi, vaan jokin paljon vaikeampi ja rehellisempi. Näihin tuntoihin palataan vielä myöhemmin kirjan sivuilla.
Jotenkin sitä toivoo vain, että päiväkirjasarjan loppu olisi toinen kuin se on. Tuntuu järkyttävältä, että tästä on 16 vuotta Virginian traagiseen, turhaan kuolemaan. Miten masennus voikaan ottaa näin loistavat aivot lopulta haltuunsa - tämä ajatus ei jätä rauhaan.
Tämän osan alkupuolella kuvataan ystävyyttä Katherine Mansfieldin kanssa. On mahtavaa huomata, että Virginia on pikkumainen, ei pidä ystävän kirjallisuutta kummoisenakaan, hermostuu tämän saamista kehuista ja niin edelleen. Katherinen kuollessa surun tunteet eivät dominoi, vaan jokin paljon vaikeampi ja rehellisempi. Näihin tuntoihin palataan vielä myöhemmin kirjan sivuilla.
Jotenkin sitä toivoo vain, että päiväkirjasarjan loppu olisi toinen kuin se on. Tuntuu järkyttävältä, että tästä on 16 vuotta Virginian traagiseen, turhaan kuolemaan. Miten masennus voikaan ottaa näin loistavat aivot lopulta haltuunsa - tämä ajatus ei jätä rauhaan.
December 24, 2019
La edición es algo peor que la del primer diario, con muchas faltas que hacen pensar que no ha pasado por las manos de un corrector.
En cuanto a Virginia, aquí es donde empieza a ser esa Virginia que conocemos, más preocupada por la literatura, el alma, la vida y la muerte, lo que ella llama su "enfermedad", su "amistad" con mujeres... Y deja de darle tantas vueltas a preocupaciones burguesas.
En cuanto a Virginia, aquí es donde empieza a ser esa Virginia que conocemos, más preocupada por la literatura, el alma, la vida y la muerte, lo que ella llama su "enfermedad", su "amistad" con mujeres... Y deja de darle tantas vueltas a preocupaciones burguesas.
March 1, 2021
Hay erratas incluso en la solapa (!!!). Se intensifica la diferenciación entre la V.W. que escribe en privado (y que no se considera feminista) y la V.W. que escribe en público (como demuestra el fuerte compromiso feminista de la autora en los dos últimos apéndices finales). Intuición personal confirmada: Virginia leyó a Proust mientras escribía La Señora Dalloway.
May 26, 2024
"A ripensarci, credo che quello che conta nella scrittura sia trovare il ritmo. Se domattina riuscissi a trovare il ritmo giusto - a cogliere il balzo della frase al momento giusto - non mi fermerebbe nessuno; - qui c'è molto su cui mi piacerebbe riflettere; non si tratta esattamente di stile - di parole giuste - è un modo per far lievitare il pensiero fuori dalla testa".
18 novembre 1924
18 novembre 1924
June 9, 2025
often funny, sometimes sad; always beautiful and always very, very smart.
December 9, 2008
A must read for the serious Woolf fan.
March 9, 2017
'There's no doubt in my mind that I have found out how to begin (at 40) to say something in my own voice; & that interests me so that I feel I can go ahead without praise.'(26 July 1922)
January 29, 2024
Vicious, delicious. Virginia in her late 30s, knowing better than everyone else and living on a little strip of pavement over an abyss.
"February 1920: For some time now life has been considerably ruffled by people. Age or fame or the return of peace—I don't know which—but anyhow I grow weary of 'going out to tea;' & yet can't resist it. To leave a door shut that might be open is in my eyes some form of blasphemy."
"September 1924: Vita, to attempt a return, is like an over ripe grape in features, moustached, pouting, will be a little heavy; meanwhile, she strides on fine legs, in a well cut skirt, & though embarrassing at breakfast, has a manly good sense & simplicity about her which both L. & I find satisfactory. Oh yes, I like her; could tack her on to my equipage for all time; & suppose if life allowed, this might be a friendship of a sort."
"February 1920: For some time now life has been considerably ruffled by people. Age or fame or the return of peace—I don't know which—but anyhow I grow weary of 'going out to tea;' & yet can't resist it. To leave a door shut that might be open is in my eyes some form of blasphemy."
"September 1924: Vita, to attempt a return, is like an over ripe grape in features, moustached, pouting, will be a little heavy; meanwhile, she strides on fine legs, in a well cut skirt, & though embarrassing at breakfast, has a manly good sense & simplicity about her which both L. & I find satisfactory. Oh yes, I like her; could tack her on to my equipage for all time; & suppose if life allowed, this might be a friendship of a sort."
August 29, 2023
I really enjoy reading the diaries of writers, and am fascinated by the art of writing one. Woolf's diaries are an example of the genre, where it is possible to recount the day to day, and not make it dull.
I enjoy most her narrations of the writing process - in this volume you see the development of Mrs Dalloway, and leave it in the final months of the editing process.
These new editions of Woolf's diaries promise new unexpurgated content, but so far as I can make out, aside from a few lines here and there, they are much the same as the 1970s versions. The bonus is the inclusion of two of Woolf's essays/opinion pieces at the end of the volume, which are incredibly entertaining and enjoyable.
I enjoy most her narrations of the writing process - in this volume you see the development of Mrs Dalloway, and leave it in the final months of the editing process.
These new editions of Woolf's diaries promise new unexpurgated content, but so far as I can make out, aside from a few lines here and there, they are much the same as the 1970s versions. The bonus is the inclusion of two of Woolf's essays/opinion pieces at the end of the volume, which are incredibly entertaining and enjoyable.
June 9, 2025
Este libro es meterse un poco en el día a día de Virgina Woolf, y eso me parece increíble. Entender como ve y como describe el mundo: que piensa, que siente, que hace con eso. Tiene una forma hermosa de narrar lo cotidiano, y me entusiasmo mucho la idea de leer acerca de su proceso creativo, como escribe, de que escribe, y como se enfrenta a eso con sus miedos, sus dudas y sus emociones. Es una manera sutil de sentirse cerca y, por un momento, poder formar parte.
“Ambos estuvimos de acuerdo en que escribir es un suplicio. Y sin embargo, es lo que nos mantiene vivos: nuestras plumas nos atan al aliento de la vida. Empieza la emocionante ilusión.”
“Ambos estuvimos de acuerdo en que escribir es un suplicio. Y sin embargo, es lo que nos mantiene vivos: nuestras plumas nos atan al aliento de la vida. Empieza la emocionante ilusión.”
November 23, 2019
Lovely. This volume covers the eventual move from Richmond back into central London, a number of funny or otherwise interesting episodes involving other writers such as T. S. Eliot and Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Wolf's first impressions of "Ulysses" before publication. Again, a very attractive lifestyle between two homes, friends, domestic help (not always appreciated!) and a surprisingly disciplined approach to work, both writing and publishing.
February 26, 2020
Reading these diaries has been one of the greatest reading experiences of my life. Really, there’s too many great aspects for me to list briefly. There’s all about Virginia who was such an extremely interesting person: troubled, conflicted, witty. Her diary writing is superb, a special genre in itself. Historically, one can learn about the society in which she lived...and on and on...I’m onward to Diary 3.
March 3, 2020
Durante toda su vida, aunque de manera intermitente, Virginia Woolf mantuvo un diario ordenado en volúmenes encuadernados por su marido en la editorial que ambos habían fundado, la Hogarth Press. Cada año empezaba un tomo distinto y al momento de quitarse la vida arrojándose a las aguas del río Ouse en 1941, Virginia había completado veintisiete cuadernos los cuales han sido traducidos por primera vez al español gracias al esfuerzo de la editorial Tres Hermanas.
Este corresponde al segundo volumen, que reúne los cuadernos del 1920 al 1924 y a través de sus páginas revisamos momentos tan memorables como la publicación de ¨El cuarto de Jacob¨ y ¨La señora Dalloway¨ o su primer encuentro con la que sería su amante, la aristócrata Vita Sackville-West. Vale la pena repasar sus hojas para tener una percepción el rico mundo interior de una de las referentes más importantes del feminismo.
Este corresponde al segundo volumen, que reúne los cuadernos del 1920 al 1924 y a través de sus páginas revisamos momentos tan memorables como la publicación de ¨El cuarto de Jacob¨ y ¨La señora Dalloway¨ o su primer encuentro con la que sería su amante, la aristócrata Vita Sackville-West. Vale la pena repasar sus hojas para tener una percepción el rico mundo interior de una de las referentes más importantes del feminismo.
November 14, 2020
I think you have to be a super fan of Woolf's to find these truly amazing.
Whilst her writing is always in her own inimitable style, the content of the diaries is as banal as any man on the street.
I instead got my husband to pick 10 numbers at random between 1 and 200, and then read the diary entries on those pages. They were 3, 18, 42, 99, 101, 118, 141, 166, 199 & 200. They were alright but nothing special.
Whilst her writing is always in her own inimitable style, the content of the diaries is as banal as any man on the street.
I instead got my husband to pick 10 numbers at random between 1 and 200, and then read the diary entries on those pages. They were 3, 18, 42, 99, 101, 118, 141, 166, 199 & 200. They were alright but nothing special.
April 13, 2025
most interesting parts in this volume:
- Virginia roasting James Joyce and Ulysses (she was an insufferable classist but she had her way with words while insulting people, alright)
- Virginia's reflections on her connection to Katherine Mansfield, especially after Mansfield's death - Virginia's superiority complex and jealousy
- Virginia meeting Vita Sackville-West (no sharp brains but her body is perfection!)
- Virginia's writing process as she worked on Jacob's Room and Mrs. Dalloway
- Virginia roasting James Joyce and Ulysses (she was an insufferable classist but she had her way with words while insulting people, alright)
- Virginia's reflections on her connection to Katherine Mansfield, especially after Mansfield's death - Virginia's superiority complex and jealousy
- Virginia meeting Vita Sackville-West (no sharp brains but her body is perfection!)
- Virginia's writing process as she worked on Jacob's Room and Mrs. Dalloway
June 26, 2019
1996 review
The second of V. Woolf's diaries and a re-read. This is the farthest I have ever gotten in her diaries and I am looking forward, finally, to reading the third volume.
V. Woolf is a great writer and a great diarist and reading her diary always sends me scampering back to my own.
2019 note: Still haven't gotten to volume three.
The second of V. Woolf's diaries and a re-read. This is the farthest I have ever gotten in her diaries and I am looking forward, finally, to reading the third volume.
V. Woolf is a great writer and a great diarist and reading her diary always sends me scampering back to my own.
2019 note: Still haven't gotten to volume three.
September 1, 2018
I love the Diaries more than the Letters, they're more intimate and direct about her experience, largely of other people.
The Letters are masqued through layers of convention and expectation.
Her Diaries are much more wicked, and that's high praise, indeed -- in thought and deed!
The Letters are masqued through layers of convention and expectation.
Her Diaries are much more wicked, and that's high praise, indeed -- in thought and deed!
December 16, 2018
"Either I am a great writer or a nincompoop" has got to be the funniest use of the word nincompoop ever
January 10, 2020
ditto my review of volume 1 -
July 29, 2022
Practically perfect in every way
September 30, 2024
I liked hearing more about Woolf's writing and how she planned it and her thoughts. A lot of events occurred in this section of her life.
June 25, 2025
I've never read it but I would like to. I hold on to her as if she and I were the world.
July 22, 2025
The longest suicide note ever written
This will be a review of the entire unabridged Diary -- five volumes. My review title is stolen from some more insightful reader of Virginia Woolf's Diary -- I don't remember where I saw it, unfortunately, so can't give proper credit.
There are several interesting stories told in here. For instance, it is the story of her Bloomsbury group of friends and artists. Aside from Woolf herself, most of these were rather dull people, with one major exception: economist John Maynard Keynes, truly a brilliant man, possessor of what The Indigo Girls call "a mind without end". (They are referring to Woolf herself with the phrase, but I am repurposing it.)
And then there is the story of the Hogarth Press. Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard (also an author) purchased a printing press and became a small publishing business, to my mind one of the most inspiring business success stories of all time.
But the central story of the Diary is the story of Woolf's psychological downward spiral. I would guess she suffered from what we now call Major Depression -- at the time it was probably called Melancholia. She began each new book with enthusiasm, happy to be starting something new. But then, as she passed the middle, the book would become a crushing burden, that she struggled to finish. And after the publication, regular as clockwork, the crash. You would think that publication and success would be a triumph, but that is not how depression works. Even winning feels like losing.
It is terrifying to read, because as you get along in the Diary it becomes clear that each crash is worse than the one before. And you know that, inevitably, she will one day finish a book, then walk into the river.
Blog review.
This will be a review of the entire unabridged Diary -- five volumes. My review title is stolen from some more insightful reader of Virginia Woolf's Diary -- I don't remember where I saw it, unfortunately, so can't give proper credit.
There are several interesting stories told in here. For instance, it is the story of her Bloomsbury group of friends and artists. Aside from Woolf herself, most of these were rather dull people, with one major exception: economist John Maynard Keynes, truly a brilliant man, possessor of what The Indigo Girls call "a mind without end". (They are referring to Woolf herself with the phrase, but I am repurposing it.)
And then there is the story of the Hogarth Press. Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard (also an author) purchased a printing press and became a small publishing business, to my mind one of the most inspiring business success stories of all time.
But the central story of the Diary is the story of Woolf's psychological downward spiral. I would guess she suffered from what we now call Major Depression -- at the time it was probably called Melancholia. She began each new book with enthusiasm, happy to be starting something new. But then, as she passed the middle, the book would become a crushing burden, that she struggled to finish. And after the publication, regular as clockwork, the crash. You would think that publication and success would be a triumph, but that is not how depression works. Even winning feels like losing.
It is terrifying to read, because as you get along in the Diary it becomes clear that each crash is worse than the one before. And you know that, inevitably, she will one day finish a book, then walk into the river.
Blog review.
June 8, 2014
Finally I finished reading Volume II: 1920-24, there are a few points I would like to discuss in the meantime. First, from her entry on Thursday 16 February 1922:
… Such nonsense putting old Ribblesdale & Horner on Boards – Ly.R. was an Astor & refused to let a penny of hers be invested – Your friend Miss Shreiner has gone to Bankok. … (p. 165)
The reason is that when I sometime read some old journals on Siam recorded by foreign visitors, they wrote this misspelt word ‘Bankok’ instead of ‘Bangkok’; possibly, they did from what they heard, phonetically, they could hear our two-syllable capital’s name ‘Bang-kok’ as ‘Ban-kok’. Therefore, the name ‘Bankok’ has been taken for granted, that is, presumably correct since 92 years ago like this one by Virginia Woolf.
Second, we can find and enjoy reading her masterly, inspiring sentences; for instance:
This is the last evening, & L. is packing, & I’m not in the mood for writing, but feel superstitiously that I should like to read something actually written in Cornwall. … (p. 105)
… I repeated my phrase “He’s parched with vanity;” “He will be very successful” said Eliot. … (p. 124)
… Writing is an agony, we both agreed. Yet we live by it. We attach ourselves to the breath of life by our pens. … (p. 135)
etc.
ENDNOTE: I came across this 5-volume book set in a second-hand bookstore in Brisbane on November 1, 2002 after my visit to Dr. Walpola, a lady doctor as appointed at a hospital at Woolloomgabba a bit far away from the Lodge I was staying in Indooroopilly. I had to go there by bus from the Lodge to the City, then to the hospital (quite convenient but a bit costly) since the doctors in a BKK hospital wanted to make sure my health was all right and thus able to proceed with my ongoing part-time PhD candidature at GSE/UQ there.
I bought the set with its reasonable price and carried the set in a bag with me when I met my supervisor, Dr Merrilyn Goos, as appointed as well in the afternoon that day.
I used to see this set many years ago during my college years in an Asia Books store in BKK. I didn't have any interest or wanted to read her diary published as a brand-new set of Penguin paperbacks like that. I recall I picked a book or two from the set to read briefly and thought the set was not necessary for me then; I had never heard or read her. Just imagine, finally, fate/destiny dictated me to find the set by chance one late morning in Brisbane City, Queensland in Australia as if it patiently kept waiting for me till I arrived at the bookstore and at last found the set perch happily there for me.
… Such nonsense putting old Ribblesdale & Horner on Boards – Ly.R. was an Astor & refused to let a penny of hers be invested – Your friend Miss Shreiner has gone to Bankok. … (p. 165)
The reason is that when I sometime read some old journals on Siam recorded by foreign visitors, they wrote this misspelt word ‘Bankok’ instead of ‘Bangkok’; possibly, they did from what they heard, phonetically, they could hear our two-syllable capital’s name ‘Bang-kok’ as ‘Ban-kok’. Therefore, the name ‘Bankok’ has been taken for granted, that is, presumably correct since 92 years ago like this one by Virginia Woolf.
Second, we can find and enjoy reading her masterly, inspiring sentences; for instance:
This is the last evening, & L. is packing, & I’m not in the mood for writing, but feel superstitiously that I should like to read something actually written in Cornwall. … (p. 105)
… I repeated my phrase “He’s parched with vanity;” “He will be very successful” said Eliot. … (p. 124)
… Writing is an agony, we both agreed. Yet we live by it. We attach ourselves to the breath of life by our pens. … (p. 135)
etc.
ENDNOTE: I came across this 5-volume book set in a second-hand bookstore in Brisbane on November 1, 2002 after my visit to Dr. Walpola, a lady doctor as appointed at a hospital at Woolloomgabba a bit far away from the Lodge I was staying in Indooroopilly. I had to go there by bus from the Lodge to the City, then to the hospital (quite convenient but a bit costly) since the doctors in a BKK hospital wanted to make sure my health was all right and thus able to proceed with my ongoing part-time PhD candidature at GSE/UQ there.
I bought the set with its reasonable price and carried the set in a bag with me when I met my supervisor, Dr Merrilyn Goos, as appointed as well in the afternoon that day.
I used to see this set many years ago during my college years in an Asia Books store in BKK. I didn't have any interest or wanted to read her diary published as a brand-new set of Penguin paperbacks like that. I recall I picked a book or two from the set to read briefly and thought the set was not necessary for me then; I had never heard or read her. Just imagine, finally, fate/destiny dictated me to find the set by chance one late morning in Brisbane City, Queensland in Australia as if it patiently kept waiting for me till I arrived at the bookstore and at last found the set perch happily there for me.
November 6, 2019
Lo que me quedó claro es que además de ser una gran escritora y de haber sufrido recurrentes crisis, creo que fue una mujer feliz que tuvo una vida plena. Disfrutaba de la vida, de su trabajo, de la literatura y de ese Londres que tanto amaba. Entiendo el suicidio en este contexto. Ella era exigente con la vida. Quería sacarle el jugo, aprender, tener libertad, salud, etc. y cuando alguno de esos aspectos flaquea, la muerte puede ser el mejor de los refugios.
January 4, 2008
Summers at Joan's. Ice tea and the pool table on the screened porch. Old black and white movies on the upstairs tv. We were smitten by Virginia and her world; Larchmont girls imagining ourselves walking the gardens, Vanessa and Virginia, brilliant, creative and unique. As if.
February 2, 2015
قسمت هایی از این کتاب در چند شماره ی مجله ی "هفت" و با ترجمه ی اسلامی منتشر شده است.
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