Virginia Woolf in 1941
Virginia Woolf by Carl Köhler (Sweden, 1919-2006) India Ink on Paper. 11” x 13”. 1990-2005. Beyond the Words: Author Portraits. Carl Köhler Retrospective. Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza (February 2 — April 4, 2009). Photographer: Gregg Richards, Brooklyn Public Library. Installation: Barbara Wing, Exhibitions Manager, Brooklyn Public Library. With permission from Frida Köhler and Henry Köhler (Akersberga, Stockholm, Sweden). “And I know that I must go on doing this dance on hot bricks till I die.” — Virginia Woolf, Diary: 1936-1941 (1984); entry for March 1, 1937 Dancing On Hot Bricks VIRGINIA WOOLF IN 1941 52 RAPPORTage Virginia Woolf by Carl Köhler (Sweden, 1919-2006) India Ink on Paper. 11” x 13”. 1990-2005. Beyond the Words: Author Portraits. Carl Köhler Retrospective. Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza (February 2 — April 4, 2009). Photographer: Gregg Richards, Brooklyn Public Library. Installation: Barbara Wing, Exhibitions Manager, Brooklyn Public Library. With permission from Frida Köhler and Henry Köhler (Akersberga, Stockholm, Sweden). BY MAUREEN E. MULVIHIll t has been 68 years since the suicide of Virginia Woolf, yet No one can say with any certainty precisely how Woolf’s mind was the subject continues to disturb us. It is not fully settled. The working during her last days, but it is possible to draw reasonable Iclosing chapter of the Woolf saga beckons scholars, writers, and responsible inferences based on her own words, the words of medical professionals, artists, and—Woolf’s favorite audience— those closest to her, and her life in Rodmell Village in early 1941. the common reader. It seems we are still afraid of Virginia Woolf; We begin with a glance at the arc of Woolf’s life and career we fear the tormented creature she became.
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