Virago Books

SIGRID NUNEZ ON THE LAST OF HER KIND   Sigrid Nunez, author of The Friend chatted to us about reissuing her novel The Last of Her Kind, a haunting and provocative novel about female friendship, 1960s counterculture, race, class, politics, idealism, violence and protest.   Q: Some readers might think The Last of Her Kind follows a […]

Hormonal by Eleanor Morgan explores everything from contraception to PMS, in relation to anxiety, depression and taboos about hysteria and the ‘hormonal’ woman. It is a compelling portrait of the modern landscape of women and health, showing us how to navigate stigma and misinformation. Combining her own experiences with extensive research and expert contributions, Eleanor Morgan […]

by Grace Paley Virago Modern Classics Book Club May 2019 The Collected Stories of Grace Paley   This May our Virago Modern Classics Book Club selection is The Collected Stories of Grace Paley. Regarded as one of the finest American short story writers and admired by George Saunders, Susan Sontag and Salman Rushdie, this collection […]

Q&A with Sonia Purnell, author of A Woman of No Importance 1. How did you come to write about Virginia Hall – an incredible but unsung hero of the Second World War? The Second World War is a period of history that has always drawn me in, perhaps because my late father fought in the […]

  Writing this on the day that drones have shut down Gatwick airport and the cabinet is melting down even further over Brexit, it’s tempting to bury one’s head in the sand about what 2019 might bring… However books have always been a source of solace – not to mention inspiration, entertainment and enlightenment – […]

  What a year 2018 has been! We’ve had so much to celebrate, from anniversaries to awards, here are a few highlights: . 45 Years of Virago . 40 Years of Virago Modern Classics . 74 Books published . 80 Years of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca . 100 Years of Muriel Spark . 85 years since Testament of […]

Looking for last-minute Christmas presents? Look no further, the Virago Team have selected some of our favourite reads from 2018.   A book I definitely want to give to A LOT of different people this year is The Guilty Feminist by Deborah Frances-White. It’s hilarious, eye-opening, but most of all, really inclusive and welcoming! I have some […]

  As part of our Virago Modern Classics 40th anniversary celebrations, the Virago team have each chosen a favourite title from the #VMC40 series. Each month, we will introduce the book and share with you why we love it. This September our #VMC40 book of the month is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston […]

  As part of our Virago Modern Classics 40th anniversary celebrations, the Virago team have each chosen a favourite title from the #VMC40 series. Each month, we will introduce the book and share with you why we love it. This August our #VMC40 book of the month is The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy. The Dud […]

To celebrate publication of In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant, we’ve teamed up with Ponti’s Italian Kitchen to offer one Virago reader the chance to win dinner at their restaurant in London or Sheffield. The prize includes dinner for the reader and a guest, a bottle of Ponti’s homemade limoncello and a signed hardback […]

In January this year Emma Watson launched her feminist book club, Our Shared Shelf, inspired by her own exploration of brilliant literature about women and equality. As she wrote at the time, ‘there is so much amazing stuff out there! Funny, inspiring, sad, thought-provoking, empowering! I’ve been discovering so much that, at times, I’ve felt […]

Her Chapter 1 Babygirl’s Gun  13 Third Avenue, New York City, 1982   She said he gave her the little gun because it was classy and elegant, like her. A feminine twist of metal and pearl. Lethal, like her. She kept it under her pillow “just in case.” Her bed was, is, and always will […]

To celebrate the publication of The Heart Goes Last in paperback, we asked the Virago team to tell us about some of their other favourite Margaret Atwood books…   About The Heart Goes Last: Stan and Charmaine are a married couple trying to stay afloat in the midst of economic and social collapse. Living in their […]

In light of recent events, we’re celebrating cultures outside of the UK that contribute to our diverse range of front list and Virago Modern Classic titles.   In Diamond Square, first published in 1962, is relatively unknown out of Spain, yet it is the most acclaimed Catalan novel of all time. Set in Barcelona during […]

Find out what the Virago team has been reading so far this year, and which books we are planning on packing in our suitcases this summer. I’ve been captivated by Susan Fletcher’s novel, Let Me Tell You About A Man I Knew. It’s a wonderfully atmospheric and moving read, filled with gorgeous descriptions of Provence in the south […]