The Letters of Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf - Softcover

Vita Sackville-West; Virginia Woolf

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9781573441964: The Letters of Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1573441961 ISBN 13: 9781573441964

Publisher: Cleis Press, 2004

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After they met in 1922, Vita Sackville-West, a British novelist married to foreign diplomat Harold Nicolson, and Virginia Woolf began a passionate relationship that lasted until Woolf s death in 1941. Their revealing correspondence leaves no aspect of their lives untouched: daily dramas, bits of gossip, the strains and pleasures of writing, and always the same joy in each other s company. This volume, which features over 500 letters spanning 19 years, includes the writings of both of these literary icons.

DeSalvo and Leaska established the chronological order of the letters and placed them in sequence, and they have also included relevant diary entries and letters Vita and Virginia wrote to other friends where they add context and illumination to the narrative. Annotations throughout the text identify peripheral characters, clarify allusions, and provide background. As the New York Times noted, "the result is a volume that reads like a book, not just a gathering of marvelous scraps."

In his introduction Mitchell A. Leaska observes, "Rarely can a collection of correspondence have cast into more dramatic relief two personalities more individual or more complex; and rarely can an enterprise of the heart have been carried out so near the verge of archetypal feeling."

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Review:

"Rarely can a collection of correspondence have cast into more dramatic relief two personalities more individual or more complex; and rarely can an enterprise of the heart have been carried out so near the verge of archetypal feeling." - Mitchell A. Leaska, from his introduction "Among the greatest pleasures provided by these two decades of well-edited letters is the chance to recall every love affair's keenest intoxication - the thrill of hearing the thing you want insisting that you take it." - New York Times Book Review"

Synopsis:

After they met in 1922, Vita Sackville-West, a British novelist, and Virginia Woolf began a passionate relationship that was to last until Woolf's death in 1941. Their correspondence, displayed in its entirety in this book, leaves no aspect of their lives untouched, from daily dramas to snippets of gossip. This volume, which includes over 500 letters spanning the nineteen years of their relationship, is a vital piece of literature for those with even a slight interest in either Woolf or her lover. The letters' chronological order has been established. Relevant diary entries and letters to other friends have been included to add context and illumination to the narrative. Annotations throughout the text have also been added to identify peripheral characters and provide background information. This volume has been carefully crafted to be informative for those using the book as an academic tool, yet it is also extremely accessible and appealing to the more casual reader.

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