‘Oh yes, he seemed to say, Death is stronger than I am.’

A deeply reflective and profound collection of essays meditating on the beauty, fragility and fleeting nature of life, from one of the most pioneering modernist voices in literary history: Virginia Woolf.

First published in 1942 after Woolf’s death, The Death of the Moth and Other Essays effortlessly blends candid personal reflection, social critique and literary analysis. Across the collection, Woolf explores everything from life, death, the creative process, politics, nature and the role of women in contemporary society, always told with her characteristic lyrical style and sharp intellect. The title essay, ‘The Death of the Moth’, written in the midst of Woolf’s own depression, utilises the image of a moth’s final moments as a powerful metaphor for the fleeting nature of life. The result is a profoundly moving and exquisitely written exploration to the meaning of life as we know it. This audiobook edition is skilfully read by Georgia Maguire.

Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941) was one of the most significant novelists of the twentieth century. A modernist writer and progressive thinker, she is known for her stream of consciousness narrative style and influence on feminist criticism. Her works have been translated into over fifty languages and are widely read and adapted to this day.