Essays on Writing, Science Fiction, and Fantasy by Ursula K. Le Guin, A Spotlight

Essays on Writing, Science Fiction, and Fantasy by Ursula K. Le Guin

With a new introduction by Ken Liu

 

 

“We like to think we live in daylight, but half the world is always dark; and fantasy, like poetry, speaks to the language of the night”: so begins Ursula Le Guin’s famed essay collection, THE LANGUAGE OF THE NIGHT: Essays on Writing, Science Fiction, and Fantasy, which Scribner will proudly reissue on May 14, 2024.

 As Ken Liu says in his introduction, “there is one good reason to read an introduction to a monumental classic – a book of criticism so influential that it has become a work of art itself –which is to converse with a fellow reader who also admires that classic.” Another good reason, I would argue, is to reframe that classic in a modern context. Liu does just that, pointing out that the questions Le Guin poses in these essays (Why does art matter? What happens to a society without art?) are as relevant today as when Le Guin first published this collection in 1977.

 As one of the most prominent speculative fiction writers today (the NYT profiled him in 2019), Liu is uniquely positioned to introduce the work of one of the most brilliant and prolific fantasy and sci-fi writers of all time. But you’d be remiss to think that LANGUAGE OF THE NIGHT is just for dedicated Le Guin fans or fantasy/SF readers. While centered on these genres, Le Guin’s essays extend far beyond the bounds of genre and become rigorous, deeply engaging cultural commentaries, asking the reader to contemplate the necessity of art, the responsibility of the artist and the audience to each other, the societal convention of gender, why a robust imagination is integral to both individuals and societies, how the politics and culture of a country affects its national taste, why Americans are “afraid” of fantasy, and so much more.  There is truly something for everyone in this timeless classic.

 

URSULA K. LE GUIN (1929–2018) was the celebrated author of twenty-three novels, twelve volumes of short stories, eleven volumes of poetry, thirteen children’s books, five essay collections, and four works of translation. Her acclaimed books received the Hugo, Nebula, Endeavor, Locus, Otherwise, Theodore Sturgeon, PEN/Malamud, and National Book Awards; a Newbery Honor; and the Pushcart and Janet Heidinger Kafka Prizes, among others. In 2014, she was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2016 joined the short list of authors to be published in their lifetimes by the Library of America. Le Guin was also the recipient of the Association for Library Service to Children’s May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award and the Margaret A. Edwards Award. She received lifetime achievement awards from the World Fantasy Convention, Los Angeles Times, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, and Willamette Writers, as well as the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Grand Master Award and the Library of Congress Living Legend Award. Her website is UrsulaKLeGuin.com.

 

KEN LIU is an award-winning American author of speculative fiction. His collection, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, has been published in more than a dozen languages. Liu’s other works include The Grace of Kings, The Wall of Storms, The Veiled Throne, and a second collection The Hidden Girl and Other Stories. He has been involved in multiple media adaptations of his work, including the short story “Good Hunting,” adapted as an episode in Netflix’s animated series Love, Death + Robots; and AMC’s Pantheon, adapted from an interconnected series of short stories. “The Hidden Girl,” “The Message,” and “The Oracle” have also been optioned for development. Liu previously worked as a software engineer, corporate lawyer, and litigation consultant. He frequently speaks at conferences and universities on topics including futurism, machine-augmented creativity, the history of technology, and the value of storytelling. Liu lives with his family near Boston, Massachusetts.

On-sale May 14, 2024

 

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