Virginia Woolf - On the Borders of Madness and Genius

Virginia Woolf was born in London on January 25, 1882. She decides to become a writer when she is very young. Born into one of the ideal families of the Victorian era, Virginia spends her life in intellectual and high-class environments. Later, she joins the art circle they call Bloomsbury with her sister, who is a painter, where they develop their works in a unique, comfortable, and liberal environment.

She lost her mother when she was 13, and Virginia, who lost her sister shortly after losing her mother, fell into a deep depression. After losing her father a few years later, Virginia suffers a mental breakdown. Virginia Woolf, who became one of the pioneers of the women's movement with her works, struggled with manic depressive illness throughout her life. Virginia Woolf was showing bipolar symptoms. Some cases resulted in suicide attempts and hospitalization due to functional disorders.  Psychological disorders were common in Virginia's family, and there were people on her father's side who had previously been in a mental hospital. His father and mother also had hereditary predispositions. Virginia's mother was struggling with depression. Her mental health was also negatively affected by being abused by her half-siblings as a child. 

Her works include pieces from her own life and she reflects herself in her works. All these psychological disorders she experienced in her personal life strengthened her literary side rather than weakening it. The genius in her writings also comes from what can be called madness. When Virginia was having manic episodes, she would write down her poems very quickly and creatively. She wrote her famous works standing up without ever sitting down. During her depressive period, she felt very lacking and inadequate in terms of inspiration. She was afraid of not being able to write well again. These fears and her thoughts that World War II would never end drove her to commit suicide by going to the river near her home and filling her pockets with stones.

The life of Virginia, one of the pioneers of women's literature with her works, was located between the borders of genius and madness. The good observation behind his creativity and the way he looks at life from a different perspective than other people have aroused interest in his works in many readers. Although Virginia Woolf passed away at a young age, she left behind great works by blending the dysfunction of bipolar and manic depressive disorder, which she struggled with throughout her life, with her creativity.