VIRGINIA WOOLF (1882-1941) was born in London. A pioneer in the narrative use of stream of consciousness, she published her first novel, The Voyage Out, in 1915. This was followed by literary criticism and essays, most notably A Room of One’s Own, and other acclaimed novels, including Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and Orlando.
About the Introducer: JEANETTE WINTERSON is an English writer and the author of many novels, including Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and Sexing the Cherry. She is a professor of creative writing at the University of Manchester, and has won a Whitbread Prize, a BAFTA Award for Best Drama, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, the E. M. Forster Award, and two Lambda Literary Awards. She is a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

"Woolf's most lighthearted novel is a playful and exuberant romp through history. As a teenage nobleman, Orlando spends his days in revelry at the colorful Tudor court of Queen Elizabeth and his nights in writing earnest poetry. A favorite of the elderly queen, he falls in love with and is jilted by a wayward Russian princess. Two kings later, having reached his thirties, Orlando is sent to serve as ambassador to Constantinople, where he awakens one day to find himself in the body of a woman. The Lady Orlando takes this circumstance in stride and returns to England, where she engages in love affairs with both men and women, consorts with the famous poets of each age, finds happiness with an unconventional husband, and at last achieves publication of her own epic poem in the year 1928, the same year that Woolf published her novel. With its blend of fantastical adventure and satirical wit, Orlando was an immediate popular and critical success, one whose status as a classic has only grown with time."-- Provided by publisher.