Orlando (Novela) / Orlando: A Biography (a Novel)

Una novela inspirada en la poeta y novelista aristócrata Vita Sackville-West, amante y amiga íntima de Virginia Woolf. El protagonista de esta historia, Orlando, un muchacho aristócrata de la corte de Isabel I no solo vive con intensidad una dilatada época que va desde la época isabelina hasta nuestros días, sino que tras un profundo sueño, se despierta encarnado en mujer. La agilidad con la que la autora teje este juego es una muestra excelente de un sentido del humor que pocas veces asociamos a la personalidad de Virginia Woolf y una exploración sobre la condición femenina que influirá en posteriores estudios de género. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION A novel inspired by the aristocratic poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West, who was both Virginia Woolf's lover and close friend. The protagonist of this story, Orlando, an aristocratic young man in Queen Elizabeth I's court, not only lives intensely through a long stretch of time--from the Elizabethan era to the present day--but also wakes up as a woman after a deep sleep. The way the author skillfully weaves this transformation is an excellent example of a sense of humor we rarely associate with Virginia Woolf. It's also an exploration of the female condition that would go on to influence later gender studies.

Hija del conocido hombre de letras, Sir Leslie Stephen, Virginia Woolf nace en Londres el 25 de enero de 1882 y vive, desde su infancia, en un ambiente densamente literario. Al morir su padre, Virginia y su hermana Vanesa dejan el elegante barrio de Kensington y se trasladan al de Bloomsbury, más modesto y algo bohemio, que ha dado nombre al brillante grupo formado alrededor de las hermanas Stephen. En 1912 se casa con Leonard Woolf y juntos dirigen la editorial Hogarth Press. El 28 de marzo de 1941, la genial novelista sucumbe a la grave dolencia mental que la aqueja desde muchos años atrás y se suicida ahogándose en el río Ouse. Además de Las olas (1931), Virginia Woolf es autora de novelas tan importantes como El cuarto de Jacob (1922), La señora Dalloway (1925), Al faro (1927), Orlando (1928), Los años (1937) y Entre actos (1941). Daughter of the renowned man of letters, Sir Leslie Stephen, Virginia Woolf was born in London on January 25, 1882, and from her early years, lived in a densely literary environment. Upon her father's death, Virginia and her sister Vanessa left the elegant neighborhood of Kensington and moved to the more modest and somewhat bohemian district of Bloomsbury, which gave its name to the brilliant group formed around the Stephen sisters. In 1912, she married Leonard Woolf, and together they ran the Hogarth Press. On March 28, 1941, the brilliant novelist succumbed to the severe mental illness that had afflicted her for many years and ended her life by drowning herself in the River Ouse. In addition to The Waves (1931), Virginia Woolf is the author of such significant novels as Jacob's Room (1922), Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), Orlando: A Biography (1928), The Years (1937), and Between the Acts (1941).