Selected Letters

by Regina Marler

The daughter of eminent Victorian writer Sir Leslie Stephen and older sister of Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell was a well-known avant-garde painter and decorator, and a central figure in the Bloomsbury group. The collection, including many of Vanessa daily letters to her children, sister, and her lovers, takes readers from 1885 to 1961 - through more than seventy years and two world wars. Together they document Vanessa's fascinating and often romantic relationship with her sister; her domestic and aesthetic life at various houses including Gordon Square, Asheham, Cassis and Charleston; and her passionate involvements with Rodger Fry and Duncan Grant - who himself would have had an affair with the writer David "Bunny" Garnett, future husband of Duncan and Vanessa daughter, Angelica.

593 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanessa Bell is my favourite painter, I've read numerous books about her and her friends and family, and have even made a pilgrimage to see places where she lived, especially Charleston. Since there is nothing quite like a person's own letters to give you a glimpse into his or her innermost self, this book was sure to be a winner for me! I stretched out reading it as long as I could, and now I'm sorry to be finished.

[June Schwarz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The letters are lovely, but the accompanying material was insufficient, poorly organized, and lacked depth. Five stars for Vanessa, one star for the editor.