The Complete Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf: Second Edition

Although she's primarily known more for her novels, readers will quickly agree that Virginia Woolf's short stories retain the insight of her longer works. Careful to keep the essays out and the fiction in, the editor of this anthology has also included 16 unpublished pieces among the more than 50 here. Taken as a whole, it's easy to see how Woolf's craft develops over the years and clearly summarizes the human condition. The Complete Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf gives a nod to the all-encompassing talent of this influential writer by acknowledging her ability to master the short story.

Woolf's short stories originally appeared in various magazines and anthologies, often sloppily or intrusively edited. The 45 texts collected here were carefully prepared by Susan Dick after comparison of all surviving manuscript and printed versions; 17 have never before been published, assuring this volume an important place in the Woolf canon. The earliest pieces date from 1906 and the last were in progress when Woolf drowned herself in 1941. Taken together, they show the evolution of Woolf's experimental methods and the origin of some of the major themes in her novels. Dick's meticulous but unobtrusive editing gives us for the first time a reliable text for some of Woolf's best writing. Michael Edmonds, State Historical Soc. of Wisconsin, Madison