Above any other author, Ursula K. Le Guin has been the most influential, wonderful, and consistently read in my life. I remember my first time. The library at Cattaraugus Central School had precious little book space, what with all the room being made for computers and their ilk. (Ever used an Infotrac?) I was bound to hit on The Eye of the Heron sooner or later. I like to imagine that the card envelope might still be glued to the inside of the back cover with my name or even just the date stamp. I was in ninth grade and had obsessively been reading all the Howard Zinn I could get my grubby little paws on, with some fiction on the side. So, little socialist that I was, I fell in love.
Since then, I have collected nearly everything she has in print. My current favourite is the collected Earthsea Trilogy hardcover I bought at a used bookstore in Yellow Springs, Ohio. I'm pretty sure it's in Danish. I jumped up and down like a sugared-up American fifth grader when I found it. When you make $115 a month living on an intentional community, $10 is an investment, and I didn't even blink.
I'm currently and slowly rereading The Left Hand of Darkness chapter by chapter, on the bus to work and before bed. I've read it half a dozen times in my life, and it still feels fresh. My understanding and focus change and shift with each reading.
This morning I read an interview she did in a recent issue of Deathray. Her response to the question of her feminism is just the kind of thing I would say to get myself in trouble.
"Besides, when you say you’re a feminist it annoys the bigots and the old farts and the prissy ladies so much, it’s kind of irresistible."
The magazine also featured a "top 8" list. It was nice to see The Word for World is Forest making it in at number 4.
Since then, I have collected nearly everything she has in print. My current favourite is the collected Earthsea Trilogy hardcover I bought at a used bookstore in Yellow Springs, Ohio. I'm pretty sure it's in Danish. I jumped up and down like a sugared-up American fifth grader when I found it. When you make $115 a month living on an intentional community, $10 is an investment, and I didn't even blink.
I'm currently and slowly rereading The Left Hand of Darkness chapter by chapter, on the bus to work and before bed. I've read it half a dozen times in my life, and it still feels fresh. My understanding and focus change and shift with each reading.
This morning I read an interview she did in a recent issue of Deathray. Her response to the question of her feminism is just the kind of thing I would say to get myself in trouble.
"Besides, when you say you’re a feminist it annoys the bigots and the old farts and the prissy ladies so much, it’s kind of irresistible."
The magazine also featured a "top 8" list. It was nice to see The Word for World is Forest making it in at number 4.
DR : Which are your favourite books from your
own work?
UKL: I love them all, the flawed little bastards.
own work?
UKL: I love them all, the flawed little bastards.
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