Writer's Diary

In her journals and writing exercises, this novelist “comes to us with all the brilliance, perceptiveness, and restraint we could wish” (Kirkus Reviews).

From 1918 to 1941, even as she penned masterpiece upon masterpiece, Virginia Woolf kept a diary. She poured into it her thoughts, feelings, concerns, objections, interests, and disappointments—resulting in twenty-six volumes that give unprecedented insight into the mind of a genius.

Collected here are the passages most relevant to her work and writing. From exercises in the craft of writing; to locations, events, and people that might inspire scenes in her fiction; to meditations on the work of others, A Writer’s Diary takes a fascinating look at how one of the greatest novelists of the English language prepared, practiced, studied, and felt as she created literary history.

Edited by and with a preface from her husband, Leonard Woolf, A Writer’s Diary is a captivating must-read study for Woolf fans, aspiring writers, and anyone who has ever wanted a glimpse behind the curtain of brilliance.