Adeline Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) née Stephen, was an English writer, publisher and feminist. She is considered one of the most important early 20th-century authors and was an early practitioner of what became known as "stream of consciousness" writing. Born to a wealthy family in South Kensington, London, Virginia attended the Ladies' Department of King's College London, where she studied classical writing and history. When their mother, Julia, died of influenza in 1895 (Virginia was then thirteen) the older siblings took on their mother's role in raising the children. This period is also when Virginia first began to battle mental illness, which would plague her throughout her life. In 1912, Virginia married Leonard Woolf, who was a strong supporter of Virginia's budding writing career. Virginia and Leonard founded Hogarth Press which would publish most of Virginia's novels as well as works by E.M. Forster and T.S. Eliot. The best known of Virginia's literary works include Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927) and Orlando (1928).Virginia and Leonard Woolf's relationship was based on mutual respect but not a great deal of physical attraction. Virginia was most likely a lesbian, though some have argued that she may have been bisexual. At any rate, Virginia had affairs with several women (most notably Vita Sackville-West, who inspired Woolf's novel Orlando). Virginia's aversion to men and masculinity is often attributed to the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her half-brothers when she was a child.Virginia Woolf enjoyed great literary success in her lifetime and her books have been translated into more than 50 languages. Though her popularity waned in the years following her death, the feminist movement of the 1970's did much to revive her reputation and solidify her as one of the most important writers of the 20th century.Mental illness continued to trouble Woof for the rest of her life, causing her to be institutionalized several times and attempted suicide at least twice. In 1941, Woolf wrote a suicide note to her husband, filled the pockets of her coat with stones and drowned herself in the River Ouse in Yorkshire.