Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin ( /ˈɜrsələ ˈkroʊbər ləˈɡwɪn/; born October 21, 1929) is an American author of novels, children's books, and short stories, mainly in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. She has also written poetry and essays.
First published in the 1960s, her work has often depicted futuristic or imaginary worlds alternative to our own in politics, natural environment, gender, religion, sexuality and ethnography. She has been influenced by fantasy writers like J.R.R. Tolkien, by science fiction writers like Philip K. Dick, by central figures of Western literature like Leo Tolstoy, Virgil and The Brontë sisters, and including feminist writers like Virginia Woolf, by children's literature like Alice in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows and The Jungle Book, by Norse mythology, and by books from the Eastern tradition such as the Tao Te Ching.
In turn, she has influenced Booker prize winners and other writers, such as Salman Rushdie and David Mitchell— and notable futurism and fantasy writers like Neil Gaiman and Iain Banks. She has won the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Locus Award, and World Fantasy Award several times each.
Read more about Ursula K. Le Guin: Life, Awards, Influences, Themes, Adaptations of Her Work, Select Bibliography
Famous quotes containing the words ursula k and/or guin:
“In the tale, in the telling, we are all one blood. Take the tale in your teeth, then, and bite till the blood runs, hoping it’s not poison; and we will all come to the end together, and even to the beginning: living, as we do, in the middle.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929)
“Our roots are in the dark; the earth is our country. Why did we look up for blessing—instead of around, and down? What hope we have lies there. Not in the sky full of orbiting spy-eyes and weaponry, but in the earth we have looked down upon. Not from above, but from below. Not in the light that blinds, but in the dark that nourishes, where human beings grow human souls.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929)