“Where do you get your ideas from, Ms. LeGuin?”
“From reading signs backwards and forgetting Dostoevsky.”
Those lines are from Ursula K. LeGuin’s notes about one of her early short stories, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” The “sign” mentioned above was from a road sign for Salem, Oregon. The quote illustrates not only LeGuin’s sense of humor but her range of inspirations and topics, from children’s stories about winged cats to a retelling of "The Aeneid" from the point of view of the hero’s intended bride. Far more than a genre fiction author, she wrote general and historical fiction plus a wealth of nonfiction, on topics including writing, growing up with Native American “uncles,” and being at the end of one's life.
When LeGuin died recently, the media championed her as a multi-award-winning author, one of the first feminist science fiction and fantasy writers, and one of the first in those genres to include major nonwhite characters. The protagonist in The Left Hand of Darkness, published in 1969, is a man of African descent who is the first official “alien” encountered by a world of long-separated humans who are “red-brown or yellow-brown” (they’re also hermaphrodites, which leads to an exploration of how gender and sexuality might differ in alien societies). LeGuin’s literary style and her intense exploration of serious themes led to her work being some of the first sci-fi literature to be studied at universities.
But enough about what the outer world says. LeGuin’s work was and is beloved of fans. She’s the standard to which I hold authors of all genres in so many ways: expressive yet clear prose with a poetic rhythm, characters who are realistically appealing and flawed, and rich detail. LeGuin created religions, styles of magic, at least one musical instrument (I imagine the gossiwor to sound like a vuvuzela crossed with an off-key tuba, only worse), and thousands of large and little elements that make up a society. If you aren’t familiar with her work, she’s written something to appeal to nearly every age and interest, so try a book or two!
Beth C.
P.S. Interested in hearing more about science fiction and getting great book recommendations? Check out our recent Library Matters podcast episode all about sci fi.
Labels: Books, History
