Synopses & Reviews
Set against the vivid backdrop of the sea, six characters grapple with the death of a beloved friend, Percival. The characters are subtly revealed through the accumulation of their reflections on themselves and each other. Regarded by many as Virginia Woolfs masterpiece, The Waves was partially written in order to exorcise her private ghosts, as the character of Percival represents her brother who died in 1906.
About the Author
Virginia Woolf was born in London in 1882, the daughter of Sir Leslie Stephen, first editor of The Dictionary of National Biography. From 1915, when she published her first novel, The Voyage Out, Virginia Woolf maintained an astonishing output of fiction, literary criticism, essays and biography. In 1912 she married Leonard Woolf, and in 1917 they founded The Hogarth Press. Virginia Woolf suffered a series of mental breakdowns throughout her life, and on 28 March 1941 she committed suicide.