Virginia Woolf: Overlook Illustrated Lives

by Mary Ann Caws

Many of the accompanying illustrations showing Woolf and intimates from the famed Bloomsbury Circle-which included economist John Maynard Keynes and biographer Lytton Strachey-are published here for the very first time, along with other rare photos and portraits, providing rare insights into the mind of this enigmatic and influential writer.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

Hardcover

First published May 13, 2002

About the author

Mary Ann Caws is an American author, translator, art historian and literary critic.
She is Distinguished Professor Emerita in Comparative Literature, English, and French at the Graduate School of the City University of New York, and on the film faculty. She is an expert on Surrealism and modern English and French literature, having written biographies of Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf, and Henry James. She works on the interrelations of visual art and literary texts, has written biographies of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí, and edited the diaries, letters, and source material of Joseph Cornell. She has also written on André Breton, Robert Desnos, René Char, Yves Bonnefoy, Robert Motherwell, and Edmond Jabès. She served as the senior editor for the HarperCollins World Reader, and edited anthologies including Manifesto: A Century of Isms, Surrealism, and the Yale Anthology of 20th-Century French Poetry. Among others, she has translated Stéphane Mallarmé, Tristan Tzara, Pierre Reverdy, André Breton, Paul Éluard, Robert Desnos, and René Char.
Among the positions she has held are President, Association for Study of Dada and Surrealism, 1971–75 and President, Modern Language Association of America, 1983, Academy of Literary Studies, 1984–85, and the American Comparative Literature Association, 1989-91.
She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University, and a Fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities.
In October 2004, she published her autobiography, To the Boathouse: a Memoir (University Alabama Press), and in November 2008, a cookbook memoir: Provençal Cooking: Savoring the Simple Life in France (Pegasus Books).
She was married to Peter Caws and is the mother of Hilary Caws-Elwitt and of Matthew Caws, lead singer of the band Nada Surf. She is married to Dr. Boyce Bennett; they live in New York City.

Reviews

[Quo · Rating 3 out of 5]

To some degree at least, May Ann Caws' brief pictorial biography of Virginia Woolf emphasizes the former illustrative element at the expense of the latter, a less than detailed overview of the life of a gifted but extremely distressed artist. However, the book does what it is designed to do, acting as one of "a series of photographic biographies that offer a fresh, intimate portrait of some of our favorite writers", as envisioned by Overlook Illustrated Lives.



The best quote I've come upon about the life of Virginia Woolf suggested that "she lived in the shadow of the fear of madness but her sanity was exquisite."

The brief book by Mary Ann Caws captures much of this--the breakdowns & severe depressions that occurred in cycles throughout her life, Woolf's feeling of a sense of awkwardness when contrasted with her mother's great beauty, the discomfort at her own image, always being called "the goat", as well as happy times at St. Ives early in her life, with the sea, a lovely garden, the waves breaking & the moors.



The images of paintings by Virginia Woolf's sister, Vanessa (Stephen) Bell are quite atmospheric and the photographs within the book also paint a complex story of the author's role as a figure in the Bloomsbury Group, along with John Maynard Keynes, Aldous Huxley, Lytton Strachey, T.S. Eliot & a long list of other very artistic, often bisexual types that a century ago must have seemed a threat to "polite British society".



Virginia's marriage to Leonard Woolf, seemingly made necessary when her sister Vanessa married, was in many ways a stabilizing influence on the author. Meanwhile, the mutual attraction of Vita Sackville-West & Virginia Woolf, dating back to 1922 was tumultuous:

Vita was always--with reason of course--afraid of Virginia's fragility of body & mind and so treated her differently than her other lovers. Meanwhile, Virginia found Vita, whom the Bloomsbury group made fun of, something "dense instead of vibrant", calling her with a dose of condescension, "donkey West", in spite of her very affectionate feelings for Sackville-West.

However, Virginia was also attracted to Vita's very aristocratic heritage & her ancestral homes, her easy bearing & self-confidence, the Persian rugs, silver & gold, as well as being physically smitten with the woman's larger than life presence.

Woolf confessed to liking Vita's "easy & opulent mass of contradictions, living life as a great indulgence, all those ancestors & centuries." At the same time, Sackville-West said: "I love Mrs. Woolf with a sick passion."



The brief biographical sketch by Caws profiles the haunted mindset of Virginia Woolf but also delves into her books, though of course neither in great detail. And as previously stated, a great amount of detail about the life of Virginia Woolf is left unsaid but more than adequately expressed through the photographs and the multiple paintings that seem to wrap around her life.

*Within my review, photos of: the author of this biographical sketch, Mary Ann Caws; Virginia Woolf with her sister Vanessa Bell; a painting of Virginia by her sister Vanessa; linked photos of Virginia Woolf & Vita Sackville-West.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is too short to be particularly meaningful, uses overblown language, and is overall a disappointment. On the up side, the included photos are interesting to view.

[Lệ Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're too familiar with Virginia Woolf's life and work, this book might not shed any new light except giving you a lavish amount of illustrations and photographs. In my view, this book is interesting if you want to know about Virginia Woolf's milieu or first encounter a biography of this influential writer. I favour Mary Ann Caws's insightful commentary rather than other short biographies with dull text. This thin book also evoked my interest in other members of Bloomsbury Circle, along with Angelica Bell, whose affair with David (Bunny) Garnett is weirdly fascinating. Mary Ann Caws also carefully selected some good excerpts from Woolf's diary. What this book lacks is an extensive insight into Woolf's writing and her journey as a writer, which I do think that you can find in many other publications as further reading.

[Sean Meagher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a strangely written little book. The tone was very rambling and scatterbrained, and too much of it was about people that are not Virginia Woolf. There were lots of beautiful old photographs though, which I guess was the point.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short biography on writer Virginia Woolf, part of the Overlook Illustrated Lives series, is informative and richly augmented with photographs depicting various aspects of Virginia’s life and connections with others. Despite its condensed format, author Mary Ann Caws does a fine job of capturing pivotal points in Virginia’s life that shaped both her nature and her writing.

Some of those events happened early in Virginia’s life. At age 13, she lost her mother, and her ensuing grief brought to a halt the family newspaper, Hyde Park Gate News, a lighthearted project created as much for mutual teasing of family members as anything else. This may seem trivial, but it threw Virginia into depression and it was a year before she could write anything. As she showed signs of emerging from depression, her step-sister and her father died in quick succession over the next few years, causing her first mental breakdown.

There is little doubt that the Stephens (Virginia’s surname until she married Leonard Woolf in 1912) family lived a privileged life. Virginia and her siblings had fairly unrestricted opportunities to indulge in whatever pastime took their fancy, such as writing and art, and even to follow courses of study. Their lives also afforded many opportunities to travel internationally and to live in multiple, well-appointed homes in England.

After moving to the Bloomsbury area of London, the “Bloomsbury Set” was quickly established, creating a forum for young, forward-thinking people to meet regularly for open discussions on art, literature, and topical issues. The group included Clive Bell (who would later marry Virginia’s sister, Vanessa), John Maynard Keynes, and Lytton Strachey. These men would go on to achieve fame in various disciplines later in life.

Virginia cut her writing teeth on anonymous criticisms and reviews, before transitioning to fiction. She favored writing about whom and what she knew in her life, experimenting with modern styles and the stream-of-consciousness model. A significant event was the launch of the Hogarth Press, a private publishing house. She was married to critic and writer Leonard Woolf by this time, and Hogarth Press published such writers as Katherine Mansfield and T. S. Eliot.

Virginia and Vanessa were promiscuous even by today’s standards. Virginia had a brief sexual relationship with writer Vita Sackville-West, and Vanessa had an affair (and a daughter) with Duncan Grant. Despite a life characterized by depression, breakdowns, and an attempted suicide, from 1915 onwards, Virginia published a novel every year or two during her remaining years, beginning with The Voyage Out and ending with Between the Acts.

Mary Ann Caws has packed a large and interesting life into short biography. The narrative is crisp and minimal. She has thoughtfully also included a comprehensive timeline of Virginia Woolf’s life, and the wide range of photographs makes this a book to return to more than once.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give the pictures (which are a huge part of the book) five stars, but the text itself is pretty slight and doesn't give you a very cohesive look at Woolf's life. The author is obviously well-informed and has written several books on Bloomsbury folks, but here that translates into asides and shortcuts that give Woolf and her writing the short end of the stick. She also has some odd turns of phrase, particularly when describing mental illness and sexual abuse, that don't do the narrative any favors. The book itself is nicely printed with lots of space devoted to the often rare photographs of Woolf, her family, and her friends. Maybe just look at the pictures and enjoy the captions for this one, but go elsewhere for your Virginia Woolf insights.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read, this small book gives the reader the basic story of Woolf's life and work, her close relationship with her sister, Vanessa Bell, as well as her intellectual friendships with Clive Bell, Duncan Grant, and all the other members of the Bloomsbury Group. (Which Caws refers to, affectionately, Bloomsberries.) It's also interspersed with photographs (some blurry and dark; others of better quality) and paintings by Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant and other painters who were members of the group. I had no idea that Vanessa Bell had a liaison and lifelong friendship with Duncan Grant (who was otherwise, apparently gay) and their child, Angelica, was known as Angelica Bell. (These were bohemian times, at least in this circle). As an adult, Angelica would marry Duncan's ex lover, David Garnett--and they had 4 daughters together. Talk about incestuous!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim volume is light on text but does give a sort of outline of Virginia Woolf and her many friends and relationships. Probably the best thing about this book is the many photographs of Virginia and friends.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disturbing. Nothing like I thought it would be. She had such a sad life!

[Kimberly Patton]

I skimmed through the last half but I enjoyed reading about Virginia more than reading her works. She seemed troubled and surrounded by friends but also slightly chaotic relationships.

[Seth Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sketch portrait accompanying a series of interesting photographs.

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much above the diaries but plenty of pictures of Virginia and family and collegues

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The least you need to know." The photographs and art work are the most interesting part. A teaser for reading a more comprehensive biography soon.

[Nadinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really insightful portrait into her life. The addition of photographs to accompany the writing added more depth to the book.

[Eoin O'Callaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely little intro to Woolf bought for me by Adrian on a visit to Charleston a couple of years ago. Was inspired to pick it up after a visit to Knole last week and the short chapter on Vita and Virginia is just lovely. Highly recommended as a short intro to Woolf's life, milieu and work.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short, but candid, and worth reading for the accompanying photographs.

[Maaike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dit boekje was uitvoerig in zaken die me nagenoeg niet interesseerden en oppervlakkig waar ik net meer wou weten. Bovendien staat het vol spelfouten. Jammer.

[Novel Ideas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture painted of the social circle

[Marissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this short bio, Mary Ann Caws depicts Virginia Woolf as an enthusiastic, thoughtful woman who cherished her friends -- counter-balancing the stereotypical image of Woolf as depressed and suicidal. But in so doing, Caws neglects Woolf's work as a novelist and essayist, which, after all, is what made her famous and why we still care about her. If I recall correctly, this book mentions Mrs. Dalloway only in passing and doesn't discuss A Room of One's Own at all, and those are two of Woolf's most notable works. Instead, it feels like most of the book describes the bohemian habits and complicated relationships of the Bloomsbury Group. One perk of this biography is that it's lavishly illustrated with vintage photos of all of the people it mentions. But ultimately, it gives you a much better sense of Woolf's milieu than of her own life or her writing.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This small book is a jewel. It is a collection of photographs of Virginia Woolf, her family and friends, along with Mary Ann Caws' highly insightful commentary on Mrs. Woolf's life and work. Although brief, the text is dense with detail, presenting instead of a conventional biographical sketch something like a portrait of the spirit of Mrs. Woolf. The author very carefully selects quotations from Mrs. Woolf's voluminous letters and diaries and these contribute greatly to the beauty of the book.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

The weakness of the book is that it really doesn't take one very deeply into Woolf's writings. One gets more of a sense of Woolf's world than of her art. I felt as though I was rushed through her life. I did appreciate the MANY photographs but I believe there was more photography of family/ friends than of her writings.

[Darren Cormier · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you already know a lot about Woolf and her background, this won't shed any new light, but the images and photos of her, her family and friends, and their works might be worth the trouble.
If you don't know much about Woolf and her background, this is a great primer before delving into some of her works or more in depth biographies.

[Albaraa Najjar · Rating 2 out of 5]

محاولة إعطاء نظرة مختلفة -ايجابية- على حياة ڤيرجينيا وولف لكنها جعلتها غير محايدة أيضاً. تركيزها الأكبر كان على علاقاتها الاجتماعية و بيئتها و حديث الكاتبة عن كتب و كتابات ڤيرجينيا وولف و التي جعلتها من هي الآن مجحف و شحيح. في بعض الأوقات و عندما أعطت العنان لڤيرجينيا في التحدث عن نفسها بحرية عن طريق رسائلها وبعض كتاباتها كان الكتاب خلاب خاصة الجزء الذي تحدثت فيه عن روجر فري.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most sections were pretty poorly written, but it's worth checking out for the interesting photographs!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of name dropping and not a lot about what she wrote

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

-I don't believe in aging. I believe in forever altering one's aspect to the sun. Hence my optimism.- Diary 4, pg. 125

[Peilin Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pictures remained on the focus, this is a very short introduction to Virginia Woolf's life, an insight perhapas, one's perception of what VW had left behind her.

[Diane Blodgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and easy to read book on the life of Virginia Woolf.