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Virginia woolf orlando a biography: A biography released on October 11, 1928, was inspired by the stormy family background of aristocratic poet and author Vita Sackville-West, Woolf’s lover and close friend. It is a satirically written history of English literature.
The book follows the exploits of a poet who transforms from man to woman and lives for centuries, encountering major personalities in English literary history. The work, considered a feminist classic, has received substantial attention from scholars of women’s writing, gender, and transgender studies.
Orlando Virginia Woolf Summary
The novel has been adapted numerous times. Ulrike Ottinger adapted it for the 1981 film Freak Orlando, which starred Magdalena Montezuma. In 1989, director Robert Wilson and writer Darryl Pinckney worked together on a single-actor theatrical performance.
This made its British premiere at the Edinburgh Festival in 1996, with Miranda Richardson playing the title part; Isabelle Huppert appeared in the French version, which opened in 1993 at the Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne in Lausanne (Switzerland).
Sally Potter’s film adaptation, simply titled Orlando, was produced in 1992 and starred Tilda Swinton in the titular role. Sarah Ruhl’s theatrical adaptation premiered in New York City in 2010, and another version will premiere at the Garrick Theatre in London in 2022, starring Emma Corrin and directed by Michael Grandage.
The novel has also been adapted for operatic performances. The novel became public domain in the United States in 2024.