Virginia Woolf, born Adeline Virginia Stephen on January 25, 1882, in London, England, was a central figure of the modernist literary movement of the early 20th century. With her innovative narrative techniques and lyrical prose, Woolf's work pushed the boundaries of the novel's form. Arguably her most famous book, 'Mrs. Dalloway' (1925), reflects her preoccupation with the inner lives of her characters and illustrates her 'stream of consciousness' approach, a style that mirrors the continual flow of thoughts and feelings in the mind. Woolf was deeply concerned with the human psyche, time, and the role of women in society, themes abundantly present in 'Mrs. Dalloway' and her other works, including 'To the Lighthouse' (1927) and 'Orlando' (1928). As a member of the Bloomsbury Group, which advanced feminist principles and pacifism, Woolf was also an essayist, critic, and publisher, co-founding Hogarth Press with her husband Leonard Woolf. Her essays, such as 'A Room of One's Own' (1929), have been formative texts in feminist literary criticism. Her life was marked by bouts of mental illness, and she tragically drowned herself in 1941. Woolf's contributions to literature endure, marking her as one of the most innovative and influential authors of the 20th century.