Virginia Woolf

Born in London in 1882, Virginia Woolf became one of the defining writers of the 20th century. She grew up in an intellectually lively household, later moved in the Bloomsbury circle, and developed a style that helped change what a novel could do, bringing readers close to the shifting inner lives of her characters.

She is especially known for novels such as Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and The Waves, as well as essays including A Room of One's Own. Alongside her husband, Leonard Woolf, she also helped run the Hogarth Press, which published important modern writing and gave her space to experiment with her own work.

Woolf's writing is celebrated for its sensitivity, emotional depth, and formal boldness. She died in 1941, but her influence on literature, feminist thought, and the art of narration has only grown.