Orlando, a Biography: The Virginia Woolf Library Authorized Edition

by Virginia Woolf

Book Overview

"Come, come I'm sick to death of this particular self. I want another."

As his tale begins, Orlando is a passionate sixteen-year-old nobleman whose days are spent in rowdy revelry, filled with the colorful delights of Queen Elizabeth I's court. By the close, three centuries have passed, and he will have transformed into a thirty-six-year-old woman in the year 1928. Orlando's journey is also an internal one--he is an impulsive...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 015670160X
• ISBN13: 9780156701600
• Release Date: October 1973
• Publisher: Mariner Books Classics
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.2" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

A delightful joke

This novel is Woolf's literary joke, where she pokes fun at herself and all her literary predecessors. The story follows Orlando, who begins life as a young man in 16th century desperately striving for love and affection. About midway through, however, he becomes a stunning literary embodiment of Woolf's lover, Rita Sackville-West. Woolf's constant references to herself and her constant fun with other others make reading the book a bit like a treasure hunt, but it's certainly a joy to read even if you aren't searching for literary clues and connections. Reading Orlando is like sinking into a warm bathtub up to your neck and just enjoying the sensation and the blissful silence when you put your ears underwater.

Man and Woman

Woolf's skill of imagery in writing is amazing. Her love of her character Orlando is apparent in the gentle way she carries him/her from the 15th century to 1928. I wanted to jump into the story, sit beside Orlando, ride a horse beside him, and kiss him as a man and then again as a woman. A stunning read and one that should be on any well-read person's read and read again list...enjoy.

A landmark of the 90s

First off, I've never been able to finish Virginia Woolf's high-camp novel, with its uneasy attempt to blend love letter and politicosexual analysis, but that doesn't matter. I saw "Orlando" in the cinema when it first came out and it was one of the few films around that made me feel glad to be alive.Negative criticism of Tilda Swinton's cool performance is beside the point. Her calm and control is perfect; Orlando has to go from being a naive boy to a mature woman, and by the end of the film, even though Swinton has hardly broken a sweat, her long stare into the camera makes her seem truly iconic. It's one of the best film performances of the 90s. But Swinton has been too striking and unnerving an actor to ever be a big star, even if she wants to be, which seems unlikely. Woolf's "Orlando" strikes me as overwritten and silly. Potter's "Orlando" is glorious, with some hilariously exaggerated costume design (from Sandy Powell, who cut her teeth with the even more left-field Derek Jarman), gorgeous music and striking performances from, amongst others, Billy Zane as Orlando's dashing lover and Heathcote Williams as a snide, money-hungry poet. It's an essay in contemporary sexuality, which almost makes me appreciate the music of Jimmy Somerville.I can't think of many more haunting moments than the last five minutes; essays could be written on Orlando's Gaze. Swinton spends much of the film looking at people, searching for clues, trying to take it all in; by the end she seems to found it, and made it her own, and this is why her impassive stare and slight smile are so moving. I'm biased cause I'm a fan.

Masterful, Genius, "Orlando" Has It All

"Orlando" served as my sweeping introduction to the incredible writing of Virginia Woolf. (For anyone who has seen the movie, do yourself a favor, and read this amazing book!) One is forced to wonder what sort of genius mind Woolf possessed; only a mind of the finest tuning could have produced such a work! "Orlando" is truly representative of superior literature and demonstrates the art of writing at its finest! No review does the novel justice...any topic imaginable is covered..of course, all is reviewed from the standpoint of five passing centuries and multiple backdrops ranging from the exotic to the droll. Woolf's treatment of sexuality, intelligence, consciousness, time, and the human psyche is poignant. "Orlando" is definitely worth the read. No matter the reader, "Orlando" is sure to be an unforgettable novel, its author's genius surely to be admired.

Lingering Film -- Unusual Meditation on Sexuality

I have watched this film three times - yet each time I have watched it I have been intrigued by it - one of the rare films to explore the COMMON rather than the differences between men and women. There is a lushness and "an eternity" to the film - Ms. Potter did an excellent job from the site locations to the music. The landscapes varied from the bitter cold, to desert heat, to World War I, to foggy English countryside to modern day London - these enhanced the feeling that the essence of men and women are the same - not only now but in the past. I have a feeling that people will either love or hate this film. If you are looking for direct action this is not the film for you. However, if you are looking for a more dreamy, meditative film that is memorable than you should definitely check this one.