The Virginia Woolf Podcast

In 1910 a young Virginia Woolf engaged in a prank now known as The Dreadnought Hoax. The episode, which involved her pretending to be an Abyssinian Prince and wearing blackface, has divided and embarrassed scholars of her work, many of whom prefer not to dwell on it.

Danell Jones, author of 'The Girl Prince: Virginia Woolf, Race, and The Dreadnaught Hoax' is the first researcher to deeply consider this moment in Woolf's biography while also engaging with the Black experience in Britain, including the stories of real princes to Caribbean writers and South African activists.

Karina asks Danell what really happened during the Hoax and what legacies it leaves.

The book can be purchased through multiple outlets including: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/the-girl-prince/

For a discount, use promo code  THEGIRLPRINCE25

https://danelljones.com/the-girl-prince-virginia-woolf-race-and-the-dreadnought-hoax/

To learn more about Literature Cambridge, go to https://www.literaturecambridge.co.uk or follow them on:
Twitter @LitCamb
and Instagram: @litcamb

In this episode, Karina speaks with Mansfield expert Gerri Kimber about the author's infamous connection with Virginia Woolf. They discuss what they had in common, what they didn't, and whether she was really a member of the Bloomsbury Group.

Gerri is the founder of the Katherine Mansfield Society. She is the author of Katherine Mansfield: The Early Years (2016), Katherine Mansfield and the Art of the Short Story (2015), and Katherine Mansfield: The View from France (2008). She is the Series Editor of the 4-volume Edinburgh Edition of the Collected Works of Katherine Mansfield (2012-16). 

To learn more about Literature Cambridge, go to https://www.literaturecambridge.co.uk or follow them on:
Twitter @LitCamb
and Instagram: @litcamb

This is the first part of a mini-series on Woolf in Japan. In this episode, Karina is joined by Prof Aki Katyama, the Japanese translator of A Room of One's Own. Together they discuss the success of this text in Japan, and the importance of Woolf's feminist essay to contemporary Japanese gender politics. They speak with students at Dokkyo University in Soka, and with Ryoko Takeuchi, a publisher at Heibonsha Publishers in Tokyo.

The episode is funded by The Daiwa Foundation.

To learn more about Literature Cambridge, go to https://www.literaturecambridge.co.uk or follow them on:
Twitter @LitCamb
and Instagram: @litcamb

In this episode, Karina interviews the excellent Kabe Wilson, an artist and scholar who has recently been artist in residence at the University of Sussex. They discuss his long relationship with Woolf's work and go in search of a lighthouse with some strange connections between his own paintings to those of Vanessa Bell.

Kabe is known in the Woolf community for his imaginative interventions in Woolf's writing. His many projects on Woolf include: Of One Woman or So, The Dreadlock Hoax, and On Being Still. His work has recently been chosen to illustrate the Norton Critical Edition of To the Lighthouse .

To learn more about Literature Cambridge, go to https://www.literaturecambridge.co.uk or follow them on:
Twitter @LitCamb
and Instagram: @litcamb

This episode celebrates the opening of an exhibition at Charleston's new museum in Lewes, Sussex. The exhibition is titled Bring No Clothes: Bloomsbury and Fashion and is running until January 7th 2025.

In order to discuss the Bloomsbury Group and their innovative approach to clothing, Karina is joined by the exhibition's curator, Charlie Porter, and Woolf and fashion scholar Claire Nicholson.

Charlie is a writer, fashion critic and curator. He has written for The Financial Times, The Guardian, The New York Times, GQ, Luncheon, i-D and Fantastic Man, and has been described as one of the most influential fashion journalists of his time. Porter co-runs the London queer rave Chapter 10, and is a trustee of the Friends of Arnold Circus, where he is also a volunteer gardener. He is the author of What Artists Wear and of a book inspired by his work with Charleston, titled Bring No Clothes.

Claire has taught English in Cambridge for many years. Her interest in fashion history was combined with literary analysis in her dissertation In Woolf’s Clothing: Clothes and Fashion in Virginia Woolf’s Fiction. She is Chair of the Virginia Woolf Society.

To learn more about Literature Cambridge, go to https://www.literaturecambridge.co.uk or follow them on:
Twitter @LitCamb
and Instagram: @litcamb

Marielle O'Neill and Prof. Peter Stansky discuss the many legacies of Leonard Woolf, notably his anti-imperialism, socialism, and work in international politics.

Peter Stansky is a professor of History at Stanford University and the author of Leonard Woolf, Bloomsbury Socialist. His most recent publication is The Socialist Patriot: George Orwell and War. As a distinguished historian, he has judged the Pulitzer Prize, among other book awards. Peter was a finalist for the National Book Awards in 1967, 1973, and 1981. He has also served as a member of the Executive Council of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has lectured in various parts of North America, Europe and Australia. 

Marielle is a PhD candidate at Leeds Trinity University. Her research explores the political activism and partnership of Leonard and Virginia Woolf. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain. She has been active in politics on both sides of the Atlantic, working on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC and in the Houses of Parliament, London. 

To learn more about Literature Cambridge, go to https://www.literaturecambridge.co.uk or follow them on:
Twitter @LitCamb
and Instagram: @litcamb

This is the second of two episodes created to celebrate 100yrs since the first 'Dalloway day.' In this episode, Professor Dame Gillian Beer gives a wonderful lecture titled, 'For There She Was: Love and Presence in Mrs Dalloway'

To learn more about Literature Cambridge, go to https://www.literaturecambridge.co.uk or follow them on:
Twitter @LitCamb
and Instagram: @litcamb

This is the first of two episodes created to celebrate 100yrs since the day on which Mrs Dalloway is set.

This episode focuses on a mysterious painting by Vanessa Bell and explores its possible connection to Mrs Dalloway. Karina speaks with the painting's owner, Howard Ginsberg, and the bestselling author of Bloomsbury Pie, Regina Marler in order to think about paintings and parties in 1920s Bloomsbury. 

With thanks to Howard Ginsberg for his permission to use an image of the artwork. 

To learn more about Literature Cambridge, go to https://www.literaturecambridge.co.uk or follow them on:
Twitter @LitCamb
and Instagram: @litcamb

Karina speaks with Prof Mark Hussey about an often misunderstood  member of the Bloomsbury Group, Clive Bell. Hussey touches on Bell's pacifism, his love affairs, and his powerful influence on Bloomsbury thought. 

Prof Hussey is the author of Bell's biography, 'Clive Bell and the Making of Modernism' and has edited 'The Selected Letters of Clive Bell: Art, Love, and War in Bloomsbury.'

You can purchase copies and learn more at:
https://www.markhusseybooks.com

For a 30% discount on The Letters of Clive Bell:

See https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-selected-letters-of-clive-bell.html

Code NEW30 gets a 30% discount.

To learn more about Literature Cambridge, go to https://www.literaturecambridge.co.uk or follow them on:
Twitter @LitCamb
and Instagram: @litcamb

A new theatrical adaptation of Orlando has just premiered in the West End. The play is by Neil Bartlett and features Emma Corrin in the title role. 

Karina interviews Dr Angela Harris, Neil Bartlett, and a group of fantastic students from Florida State University, London Campus. 

To learn more about Literature Cambridge, go to https://www.literaturecambridge.co.uk or follow them on:
Twitter @LitCamb
and Instagram: @litcamb