{"product_id":"the-wise-virgins-paperback","title":"The Wise Virgins - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eLeonard Woolf\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eVictoria Glendinning\u003c\/b\u003e (Foreword by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA new edition of Leonard Woolf's satirical second novel, which offers an intriguing group portrait of Leonard and Virginia Woolf and other members of the Bloomsbury Group​\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Wise Virgins\u003c\/i\u003e (1914), Leonard Woolf's second novel, was published two years after the author's marriage to Virginia Stephen--and begun during their honeymoon. The autobiographical elements of the book are well documented. Its publication caused acute distress to Woolf's family. Leonard's sister, Bella, urged him to bury the novel, while his mother was shocked and mortified by unflattering portraits of herself and her neighbors. Two weeks after reading the novel, Virginia Woolf suffered the worst of her many breakdowns.\u003cp\u003eAs a\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eroman à clef the novel holds considerable interest for its picture of Leonard and Virginia's courtship, as well as its sketches of Vanessa Stephen and Clive Bell. (Virginia would later retell the story, from a much different perspective, in \u003ci\u003eNight and Day\u003c\/i\u003e.) But the novel offers the contemporary reader other rewards. It remains a witty, engaging satire about English society just before World War I and its conventions and prejudices. In Harry Davis, Woolf created a memorable Jewish antihero who rails against society's conventions but tragically finds himself unable to escape them. Award-winning biographer Victoria Glendinning contributes a foreword to this new paperback edition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeonard Woolf (1880-1969) was a noted political historian, autobiographer, novelist, civil servant, and member of the Bloomsbury Group. In 1912 he married Virginia Stephen, and together the couple founded the Hogarth Press. Among his most important writings are \u003ci\u003eAfter the Deluge\u003c\/i\u003e (1931-51), a multivolume modern political and social history, and his five-volume autobiography (1960-69), which begins with \u003ci\u003eSowing\u003c\/i\u003e. Victoria Glendinning is the award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eAnthony Trollope\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eVita: The Life of Vita Sackville-West\u003c\/i\u003e, both of which won the Whitbread biography award, as well as \u003ci\u003eElizabeth Bowen\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEdith Sitwell\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRebecca West\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJonathan Swift\u003c\/i\u003e, and, most recently, \u003ci\u003eLeonard Woolf: A Biography\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.67 x 7.6 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 26, 2007\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42724358455359,"sku":"9780300126532","price":90.72,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/bf4adfa7f9a248834d628a5fb7ca0266.webp?v=1765102390","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/the-wise-virgins-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}