book data
251 ratings, 4.31 average rating, 20 reviews
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published
1976
by Chatto and Windus for Sussex University Press
binding
Unknown Binding, 207 pages
isbn
0856210501
(isbn13: 9780856210501)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 419)
I read "A Sketch of the Past" and "Old Bloomsbury" out of Moments of Being, the only source of her autobiographical writing (aside from the Diaries and Letters) as far as I know. Then I read The Voyage Out, Woolf's first novel. This experience raised the question (which I have yet to find a definitive answer to) of whether or not books, poetry, music, art, etc. should stand on their own with no consideration of the artist's life. I admit I definitely read The Voyage Out with ...more
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Read in January, 2007
This is a collection of Woolf's autobiographical writings. She didn't write a lot about herself, but what's here is terrific. The first piece is not spectacular--she wrote it when she was younger and still learning, and before she got to be brutally honest with herself. The second piece covers almost the same time period as the first, but was written towards the end of her life, so she's very candid. The two are completely different and each illuminates the other. The last three pieces were writ...more
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recommends it for:
woolfies
ok, so i have to admit that i've never read this entire volume. but it contains some of my favorite writing EVER, not just of virginia woolf. it's the very early sections that were to be her memoir, had she finished it instead of lying in the river.
so, yes, i am a fan of her other work. but there's something in this, these pure, raw, childhood memories; it has a pulse, an open vein. it is absolutely haunting. there's this one image she describes that i think of often, very often, of lyi...more
so, yes, i am a fan of her other work. but there's something in this, these pure, raw, childhood memories; it has a pulse, an open vein. it is absolutely haunting. there's this one image she describes that i think of often, very often, of lyi...more
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Read in January, 2006
I've been very curious about this genius writer' background.
This book covers some of her 'sketches', her memoirs written for Bloomsbury Group for the sake of having a quiet meeting where each one of them tell the rests about their childhoold.
Virginia alo writes Vanessa's memoir in this book, dedicated to Julian, who later died in a very young age.
It' interesting to note that Virginia's nervous breakdown was blamed on her unhappy childhood, like the sexual abuse done by her half-b...more
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recommends it for:
everyone
I'm terminally reminiscent so A Sketch of the Past is my favorite.
And an oft highlighted passage:
"Now if this is so, is it not possible--I often wonder--that things we have felt with great intensity have an existence independent of our minds; are in fact still in existence?....I see it--the past--as an avenue lying behind; a long ribbon of scenes, emotions....I feel that strong emotion must leave its trace; and it is only a question of discovering how we can get ourselves again att...more
And an oft highlighted passage:
"Now if this is so, is it not possible--I often wonder--that things we have felt with great intensity have an existence independent of our minds; are in fact still in existence?....I see it--the past--as an avenue lying behind; a long ribbon of scenes, emotions....I feel that strong emotion must leave its trace; and it is only a question of discovering how we can get ourselves again att...more
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Read in November, 2008
recommends it for:
Woolf fans, and people who need an accessible introduction to her work.
Very funny and very sad. It kept me reading even through Thanksgiving at my parents' house, where my brain usually shuts down to Standby mode so all I can really read and understand is Rosamunde Pilcher.
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Read in July, 2008
I enjoyed this book which is a collection of autobiographical writing from Virginia Woolf. I only wish that she could have put this together and had it published before her passing. It was sometimes difficult to read through the editing notes and I have a feeling that she would have rewritten certain pasages so that they flowed better with the story.
I thought this provided great insight into Virginia Woolf's life and included humorous and poignant insights about her childhood which shaped ...more
I thought this provided great insight into Virginia Woolf's life and included humorous and poignant insights about her childhood which shaped ...more
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Moments of Being about Virginia Woolf's early life was written shortly before her suicide . As she recreates living at Hyde Park Gate and Talland House as a child, she comments that a German plane has flown so low that it brushed a tree at Monk's House where she writes in 1939 and 1940. The details of her early life are vivid and lovely. I can only think that the war and her vulnerability to it may have been factors in her decision to opt out of her life.
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Read in January, 1993
recommends it for:
anyone who wants to understand the inner life of a very sensitive and interesting woman;
This is in essence a spiritual autobiography of Virginia Woolf. It is powerfully written with beauty and poetry, and shows a world of memory and shifting perceptions. Also in here is her brave exposition about being molestedy by her step-brother George Duckworth, an essay presented in 1922 in the London memoir group she belonged to.
The themes in the book appear in her fiction. There is much to learn here and to enjoy.l
The themes in the book appear in her fiction. There is much to learn here and to enjoy.l
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recommends it for:
Becky
Essays unpublished during her lifetime. Fittingly, there are some unbelievable MOMENTS, but I wouldn't advise reading the whole thing straight through. At her best she gives effortless snippets of existence, which she represents more clearly than anyone else I can think of. She has helped me recognize Moments of Being when they come for me--an excellent spiritual guide.
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Read in September, 2008
A good read for the Woolf lover, but it can be a bit rough for somebody who's used to her more polished and revised style, as these writings were never intended to be published as is. I enjoyed it quite a bit, especially "A Sketch of the Past," which gives so many details about her childhood, such a clear picture of what life was like then.
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Anything by Woolf can alter your state of thinking and being. These are her own thoughts of her past and present and how she views how happiness only comes in little moments of being. Amazing book. Must read if you are a survivor or dealing with depression or Bipolar disorder.
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
writers
if you are editing something you've done, this book will help you decide what gets to stay and what isn't important. i had to read it a few times, but it gets better every time.
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Read in January, 2005
recommends it for:
any women
Some of the pieces in this book are the most touching writings of this wonderful author. A drammatic beginning of an uncompleted autobiography. An opening on VW's world.
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Read in April, 2003
I fell in love with this woman while reading this book. Before, it was interest and respect, but after...pure love
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fascinating. perhaps the most insightful account of woolf's life one can read -- because it's coming from her.
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Some of her lesser known writing. Always wonderful.
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