Orlando – A Biography

Orlando is one of Virginia Woolf’s most-celebrated works. A cornerstone in feminist literature, the novel explores the complexities of gender, identity, sexuality, and self-discovery.

‘Love, the poet has said, is woman’s whole existence.’

Orlando follows the titular character over a period of 300 years as he miraculously transforms from a man into a woman. Opening while Orlando is living in Elizabethan England as a nobleman, we observe as he shifts through centuries and identities while Woolf compares the societal roles of men and women throughout history. Often marked as the first literary text to explore transgender characters, Orlando challenges traditional gender roles, dismissing the idea of gender binaries and the constraints of the patriarchy.

First published in 1928, Orlando was written as a mock biography for Woolf’s close friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West, as a dedication of love. Woolf is widely hailed as having been key to the first wave of feminism, and Orlando stands as a testament to her groundbreaking vision.