Contemporary Writers: Essays on Twentieth Century Books and Authors

by Virginia Woolf

Here, in more than forty essays, are Woolf's thoughts on her contemporaries in the art of fiction; reviewing and criticism; and one of her favorite themes, female novelists. Among the writers reviewed are Dorothy Richardson, E. M. Forster, Aldous Huxley, D. H. Lawrence, H. G. Wells, and Theodore Dreiser. Preface by Jean Guiguet.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

(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."

Reviews

[Chavelli Sulikowska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I am reading Woolf I always have a highlighter marker at the ready – then I end up highlighting most of what I read because everything she writes is so exquisitely erudite, original and most importantly, spot on correct. She nails it every time, whether she’s elucidating on women’s rights, playing with gender roles, commentating on literature and language or simply recording the slow journey of a garden snail. I sound like a ranting fan. And I am. I am never disappointed reading anything she wrote – she always enlightens, and most crucially, makes me think harder and deeper about the things I think I know.

Here, she’s on another literary criticism bender. This time, critiquing (and praising where it’s due) a range of her predecessors and contemporaries in a series of forty essays. Many of these authors I was completely unfamiliar with and needed to do some googling. A few were one hit wonders and this is probably why while they may have been talked about in Woolf’s day, their legacies have faded over time. Googling often only achieved ‘out of print’ results. Among those more famous novelists who fall under her critical stare are EM Forster, Dorothy Richardson (whom I looked up and have since read – she is such a wag), DH Lawrence, Dreiser, Wells and Huxley. Despite their greatness, none are immune from her nit picking. Love her unforgiving no nonsense attitude.

She is both kind and ruthless! I really enjoyed her review of Butler’s The Way of All Flesh, as I was also reading this at the time by chance and I am glad to have been on the same page as Woolf – he was a seriously underrated author! Most likely due to the fact that he chose to focus on the mundane and the ordinary, his novels are not cliff hangers or hot and heavy romances. He does justice to everyday life with brilliance.

A great collection for either die hard Woolf fans who read everything she writes or readers who enjoy critical literary essays. I’m not a literature student, but I would think this would be a really useful resource to improve your own critical essay writing skills – pointers taken from one of the best teachers!

[Noel Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

She could be writing instructions on how to use a blender and make it fascinating I'm sure. Even if I hadn't found several books to add to my to-read list I would have been very satisfied with this collection. Consider what she says about Theodore Dreiser: "The end is apparent long before it is reached, and we come to it in a listless and straggling way which makes the whole expedition seem rather pointless." Preach it! She manages to put into words so many vaguely formed impressions I've had when reading the few authors here that I was familiar with it's almost a sense of closure reading these reviews.

[Samuel Maina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read so much contemporary reviews in a single edition it makes me think The Times Review was an authority on contemporary writers.
There are so many contemporary writers that we should know of. Contemporary writers are defined as literature written after World War II through the current day. The works reflect a society’s social and or political view point shown through realistic characters connecting to current events and social economics.
What a relief to see Miss Dorothy Richardson.being featured….”The Tunnel” and “Revolving Lights”. You should have seen how my face lit up when I saw Miss Dorothy Richardson being described as “She has invented, or, if she has not invented, developed and applied to her own uses, a sentence which we might call the psychological sentence of the feminine gender.”
I have no doubt this collection of the times literary supplement was done by one who was a voracious reader. A true challenge to read some more.
A good read.

[Suzanne Fournier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essays about contemporary fiction and writers by Virginia Woolf.

An interesting collection, especially to get her opinion on other fiction and storytelling. While occasionally tedious I found myself noting many books to add to my 'to-read' list.