As we reflect on the anniversary of Virginia Woolf’s death, it’s heartening to imbibe the vision in this poem by Billy Collins, see her paddling her canoe for all eternity.
Constellations
Yes, that’s Orion over there, the three studs of the belt clearly lined up just off the horizon.
And if you turn around you can see Gemini, very visible tonight, the twins looking off into space as usual.
That cluster a little higher in the sky is Cassiopeia sitting in her astral chair if I’m not mistaken.
And directly overhead, isn’t that Virginia Woolf slipping along the River Ouse
In her inflatable canoe? See the wide-brimmed hat and there, the outline of the paddle, raised and dripping stars?
I often begin an essay without any thought of Virginia Woolf. I have an idea I want to explore—from personal experience, perhaps, a time or episode or person in my life, or something that’s caught my attention. I do research, both online and in the library, before I start writing, and map out my thoughts, how I want to proceed, what I want to say.
And then, out of the blue, she pops up. Threads I’m pursuing—about punctuation, baseball, and food, to name a few—evoke some connection to Woolf. I recall a passage, an incident, something from her life or work that relates to what I’m writing. Now it’s practically second nature to stop and think, what has Woolf said about this?
Virginia Woolf is an icon. We who love her know that. Now the BBC has recognized the fact.
The BBC is running a TV series called “Icons,” involving a public vote for one of four nominees in each of seven categories — and Woolf is a candidate in the seventh:
Leaders
Explorers
Scientists
Entertainers
Activists
Sports
Artists & Writers
Once those seven are chosen, there will be an overall vote for the 20th century’s greatest icon.
Artists and Writers on the air
On Tuesday 29 January at 9 p.m. on BBC2, the Artists & Writers category will feature Woolf, as well as Pablo Picasso, Alfred Hitchcock and Andy Warhol. The program, presented by actress Lily Cole, can be found online after broadcast.
You can vote
Voting begins at the end of each program and the vote is open until 4 p.m. the next day. For Woolf’s category, the voting window is from 10 p.m. Tuesday, 29 January – 4 p.m. Wednesday 30 January, London time. To vote, you will need to create an account. Get more voting information.
“A Woman Traveller’s Guide to Packing Light,” Vogue India, Dec. 25, 2018. An article that mentions Virginia Woolf’s “frock consciousness” and describes her fashion style as granny chic, while giving tips on packing light.
“The Enduring, Incandescent Power of Kate Bush,” The New Yorker, Dec. 19, 2018. An article that compares the thwarted women writers Woolf discusses in A Room of One’s Own to female pop originals.
London’s feminist mural featuring Virginia Woolf, one of 50 that are part of a collaborative project between Scarlett Curtis, curator of Feminists Don’t Wear Pink, Penguin, and Alice Wroe, creator of @herstory_uk, a project which uses feminist art to engage people with women’s history.
I’d heard the rumor — that a Virginia Woolf “collage” could be spotted in the ladies room of London’s Tavistock Hotel. But I did not expect what I actually found.
The clerk at the Tavistock’s front desk directed me to the lobby level ladies room, where I expected to see a lone framed Woolf collage on the wall near the door or the sinks.
Loo decor
I found something entirely different. The wall behind each toilet in each ladies room stall was decorated with a long framed graphic featuring Woolf and her works. Each was cut to feature a different element of her work.
Luckily, the ladies room was unoccupied when I entered, so I was able to take a photograph of each stall. However, some of my photos are a bit tipsy, due to the fact that I had to prop each stall door open with my foot while hurriedly snapping individual pictures.
I made sure to include the commode and toilet tissue roll in the photo when I could manage it, as evidence that this Woolf sighting actually took place in a loo.
The hotel’s Woolf & Whistle serves light meals and beverages.
Traditional afternoon tea is also offered at the Tavistock Hotel’s Woolf & Whistle.
About the Tavistock
Blue plaque honoring Virginia and Leonard Woolf installed to the left of the front entrance of the Tavistock Hotel.
The hotel is famous because it is built on the site of Virginia and Leonard’s flat at 52 Tavistock Square,lived from 1924-1939.
A blue plaque commemorating that fact was unveiled on the exterior of the building in April.
