Adeline Virginia Woolf (née Stephen) was an English author, academic, and feminist. She was born in 1882 in London, England, where she spent most of her life. She died in 1941 by suicide at 59 years old after lifelong struggles with her mental health. Known as a highly influential modernist, Woolf’s work exemplifies the use of stream of consciousness and metaphor to create complex, nuanced arguments about social issues. During her life, she wrote and published nine novels, three book-length essays, one play, and many short stories and essays.

Woolf began writing from an early age and was educated at a women’s constituent department of King’s College in London. She, several of her brothers, and their friends founded the Bloomsbury Group in 1904 after Woolf’s father died. The Bloomsbury Group was a loosely defined artist collective wherein members worked together to create and publish art, study, and discuss sociopolitical issues. The group’s atmosphere flouted social norms of the early 20th century, especially those ideals related to acceptable sexual and romantic relationships. This openness placed Woolf among some of the most progressive thinkers in London, allowing her to reflect these same ideals in her writing.