Audiobooks by Virginia Woolf

The Life of Violet: Three Early Stories Audiobook

"In 1907, eight years before she published her first novel, a twenty-five-year-old Virginia Woolf drafted three interconnected comic stories chronicling the adventures of a giantess named Violet—a teasing tribute to Woolf’s friend Mary Violet Dickinson. But it was only in 2022 that Woolf scholar Urmila Seshagiri discovered a final, revised typescript of the stories. The typescript revealed that Woolf had finished this mock-biography, making it her first fully realized literary experiment and a work that anticipates her later masterpieces. Published here for the first time in its final form, The Life of Violet blends fantasy, fairy tale, and satire as it transports readers into a magical world where the heroine triumphs over sea-monsters as well as stifling social traditions. In these irresistible and riotously plotted stories, Violet, who has powers “as marvelous as her height,” gleefully flouts aristocratic proprieties, finds joy in building “a cottage of one’s own,” and travels to Japan to help create a radical new social order. Amid flights of fancy such as a snowfall of sugared almonds and bathtubs made of painted ostrich eggs, The Life of Violet upends the marriage plot, rejects the Victorian belief that women must choose between virtue and ambition, and celebrates women’s friendships and laughter. A major literary discovery that heralds Woolf’s ambitions to revolutionize fiction and sheds new light on her great themes, The Life of Violet is first and foremost a delight to read. This volume features a preface, afterword, notes, and photographs that provide rich historical, literary, and biographical context."

Virginia Woolf (Author), Amy Scanlon (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Room of One's Own

"“I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman.” In A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf’s classic six-part essay, the iconic Modernist writer takes on the misogyny of writing, publishing, and creativity in her time. Through the imagined sister of William Shakespeare, who in her argument possesses the same talent and intellect as the famous playwright, Woolf lays out the fundamental truth that one requires room to express creativity and time to explore and see it through. Genius unexpressed is genius nonetheless, and had Shakespeare’s sister the means to make her own art, she would have had the same lasting legacy as her brother. By breaking down the parts of society that prevent women from having this room and time, Woolf demonstrates that the lack of women in canonical literature and art is not a lack of their talent or industry, but a tragedy that they were prevented from ever putting pen to paper in the first place."

Virginia Woolf (Author), Gabrielle De Cuir (Narrator)

Audiobook

Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street

"Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the gloves herself. Big Ben was striking as she stepped out into the street. It was eleven o'clock and the unused hour was fresh as if issued to children on a beach. But there was something solemn in the deliberate swing of the repeated strokes; something stirring in the murmur of wheels and the shuffle of footsteps. No doubt they were not all bound on errands of happiness. There is much more to be said about us than that we walk the streets of Westminster. Big Ben too is nothing but steel rods consumed by rust were it not for the care of H.M.'s Office of Works. Only for Mrs Dalloway the moment was complete; for Mrs Dalloway June was fresh. A happy childhood—and it was not to his daughters only that Justin Parry had seemed a fine fellow (weak of course on the Bench); flowers at evening, smoke rising; the caw of rooks falling from ever so high, down down through the October air—there is nothing to take the place of childhood. A leaf of mint brings it back: or a cup with a blue ring."

Virginia Woolf (Author), Chiara Surico (Narrator)

Audiobook

Roger Fry: A Biography

"'He wished to be truthful without hurting; to be generous without being wasteful; to be just without being harsh.' A comprehensive and personal account of critic and artist Roger Fry, Roger Fry: A Biography is a uniquely written narrative which comes alive with Woolf's literary flair and verve. The last book that Woolf saw to publication in 1940, this stunning biography charts Fry's early years and education, through to his prominent role in pioneering Post-Impressionism in Britain and the legacy he left behind. Woolf elegantly explores Fry's intellectual pursuits and artistic philosophy, offering great insight into his exhibitions and literary endeavours. She also paints a nuanced and candid portrait of the man behind the artist, delving into Fry's relationships and personal demons, creating a poignant tribute to the deeply sensitive and complex soul that Woolf came to know intimately. The result is a sophisticated study of an artist in constant search of an aesthetic truth. This audiobook edition is skilfully read by Rachel Atkins. Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941) was one of the most significant novelists of the twentieth century. A modernist writer and progressive thinker, she is known for her stream of consciousness narrative style and influence on feminist criticism. Her works have been translated into over fifty languages and are widely read and adapted to this day."

Virginia Woolf (Author), Rachel Atkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - Una Habitación Propia

"Una habitación propia no es solo un ensayo sobre literatura, es una guía de liberación interior para cualquier mujer que busque independencia, voz propia y un espacio mental donde florecer. Con una lucidez adelantada a su tiempo, Virginia Woolf plantea una verdad esencial que sigue vigente: para que una mujer pueda crear, necesita libertad económica, estabilidad emocional y un lugar propio —físico y simbólico— donde no tenga que pedir permiso para ser. Woolf expone cómo, durante siglos, a las mujeres se les negó la posibilidad de escribir, pensar y desarrollarse más allá de lo doméstico. Pero más allá de la denuncia histórica, la obra es un llamado directo a que cada mujer construya su espacio interior, su identidad y su valor sin depender de las expectativas externas. En este sentido, se convierte en una pieza de autoayuda poderosa: invita a dejar de esperar validación ajena y comenzar a confiar en el potencial propio. En un mundo donde muchas siguen enfrentando techos de cristal, sobrecarga mental o culpa por elegir un camino distinto, este libro actúa como una brújula. Su mensaje se renueva con cada generación: necesitas tiempo, silencio, confianza y espacio para descubrir quién eres y qué deseas crear. Woolf no escribe desde el resentimiento, sino desde la lucidez: no busca enfrentar hombres y mujeres, sino revelar cómo el sistema limita a ambos, y especialmente a las mujeres. Por eso, su obra no es solo feminista, sino profundamente humana. Leerla hoy es reconocerse, sentirse comprendida y, sobre todo, animarse a reclamar ese lugar que te pertenece por derecho. Una habitación propia es una lectura esencial para cualquier mujer que desee conectar con su voz, valorarse y trazar su camino sin pedir permiso. Es un recordatorio de que el primer paso hacia la libertad empieza por dentro."

Virginia Woolf (Author), Remigia de la Rosa (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Mark on the Wall

"The Mark on the Wall is not about the mark. Or perhaps it is. A small, dark speck becomes the starting point for a cascade of thought—quiet, precise, wandering. In a room with a fire, a cigarette, and silence thick as dust, a mind drifts from memory to philosophy, from loss to structure, from trees to snails. Virginia Woolf's voice here is both still and restless, charting the motion of consciousness as it moves without hurry or warning. This story does not ask for conclusions—it offers the sensation of thought itself. A brief, vivid descent into the private theatre of the mind."

Virginia Woolf (Author), Mark Bowen (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Moment and Other Essays

"'The moment was all; the moment was enough.' Published after Woolf's death by her husband, Leonard, The Moment and Other Essays offers twenty-nine short pieces of the modernist icon's stunning non-fiction, shrewdly exploring the meaning of art, literature and everyday life. Elegantly covering topics such as the nature of reality, the power of memory and the priceless value of literature, in this sophisticated collection of essays, Woolf more than ever focuses her attention on the fleeting moments of life that meaningfully shape the human experience. In the title essay, 'The Moment', she pursues the powerful, albeit brief, moments that enable a potent feeling of being utterly understood, and consequently, wholeheartedly alive. In other works, she paints considered portraits of writers such as Turgenev and Thoreau – an affectionate testament to their life and work. Written with her trademark style – contemplative, deeply personal and in places experimental – Woolf invites her readers to find the profound in the seemingly ordinary. This audiobook edition is brilliantly narrated by Tania Rodrigues. Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941) was one of the most significant novelists of the twentieth century. A modernist writer and progressive thinker, she is known for her stream of consciousness narrative style and influence on feminist criticism. Her works have been translated into over fifty languages and are widely read and adapted to this day."

Virginia Woolf (Author), Tania Rodrigues (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Orlando - Erzählbuch (Ungekürzt)

"Too smart'n'slender for specific gender? - Virginia Woolfs 'Orlando' geistert durch vier Jahrhunderte. Mal als Mann, mal als Frau mischt er/sie historische Genderrollen auf und ist dabei doch immer dicht beim alten Shakespeare. Orlandos epische Zeit- und Weltreise, nimmt uns mit auf eine furiose Achterbahnfahrt der Gefühle. So wild die Kapriolen und so amüsant die Hakenschläge auch sein mögen, sind sie doch unerschütterlich durchtränkt von echt britischem Humor. Orlando, das ist Verführung pur."

Meike Rötzer, Virginia Woolf (Author), Meike Rötzer (Narrator)

Audiobook

Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street

"Step into the glittering world of post-war London with Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street, brought to life in this immersive audiobook experience. Follow Clarissa Dalloway as she moves through the elegant shops and bustling streets of Bond Street, where each encounter stirs memories, emotions, and profound reflections on identity, time, and the lingering effects of war. This introspective journey offers a rich, sensory exploration of a single moment in time, captured with Woolf’s signature stream-of-consciousness brilliance. Perfect for fans of literary fiction, modernist prose, and psychological depth, this audiobook invites you to hear the heartbeat of a society in transition—one thought at a time."

Virginia Woolf (Author), Saethon Williams (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Turkish] - Kendine Ait Bir Oda

"Kendine Ait Bir Oda, Woolf'un Ekim 1928'de Cambridge Üniversitesi'nde verdiği iki derse dayanır. 1929 yılında yayımladığı Kendine Ait Bir Oda, edebi yaratım sürecini, tarihteki önemli kadın yazarların yaşamlarından örnekler vererek ele alır. Kadın ile edebiyat arasındaki ilişkiyi irdeleyen Woolf, bir kadının edebi bir eser üretebilmesi için kendine ait maddi kaynağa ve kendine ait bir odaya, kısacası ekonomik ve entelektüel özgürlüğe sahip olması gerektiğini dile getirir; kadınları edebi üretimde yetersiz gören patriyarkal düşünceyi eleştirir. Kendine Ait Bir Oda, feminist düşüncenin dönüm noktası ve başyapıtlarından biri kabul edilir."

Virginia Woolf (Author), Tilbe Saran (Narrator)

Audiobook

Death of the Moth

"'Oh yes, he seemed to say, Death is stronger than I am.' A deeply reflective and profound collection of essays meditating on the beauty, fragility and fleeting nature of life, from one of the most pioneering modernist voices in literary history: Virginia Woolf. First published in 1942 after Woolf's death, The Death of the Moth and Other Essays effortlessly blends candid personal reflection, social critique and literary analysis. Across the collection, Woolf explores everything from life, death, the creative process, politics, nature and the role of women in contemporary society, always told with her characteristic lyrical style and sharp intellect. The title essay, 'The Death of the Moth', written in the midst of Woolf's own depression, utilises the image of a moth's final moments as a powerful metaphor for the fleeting nature of life. The result is a profoundly moving and exquisitely written exploration to the meaning of life as we know it. This audiobook edition is skilfully read by Georgia Maguire. Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941) was one of the most significant novelists of the twentieth century. A modernist writer and progressive thinker, she is known for her stream of consciousness narrative style and influence on feminist criticism. Her works have been translated into over fifty languages and are widely read and adapted to this day."

Virginia Woolf (Author), Karen Cass (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Room of One's Own

"'Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.' Based on two lectures Woolf delivered at the University of Cambridge, A Room of One's Own compellingly argues for women's intellectual freedom and the importance of financial independence. It is still considered one of the most powerful pieces of feminist writing to this day. Published in 1929, A Room of One's Own asserts a simple message: in order for women to reach their full creative potential, they must have their own money and space with which to do it with. Drawing from the careers of the extraordinary female authors who came before her – such as Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters and Aphra Behn – Woolf stresses just how crucial access to education is, particularly in an environment which fails to support women's liberty. She cleverly asks us to imagine that Shakespeare had a sister – equal in genius, talent – and poses the question: would her legacy be the same if her means to create were stumped? As incisive as it is intelligent, A Room of One's Own is a searing social commentary for the ages. This audiobook edition is brilliantly read by Karen Cass. Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941) was one of the most significant novelists of the twentieth century. A modernist writer and progressive thinker, she is known for her stream of consciousness narrative style and influence on feminist criticism. Her works have been translated into over fifty languages and are widely read and adapted to this day."

Virginia Woolf (Author), Karen Cass (Narrator)

Audiobook