When Ursula K Le Guin passed last year, my timeline was peppered with remorse from people that I didn’t figure to be in the same circles. This is usually when my ears perk up, and I put a pin in her name. I hadn’t read much last year, and I was making it a goal of mine to read more this year, and got into full swing in May. So far I’ve read through Lathe of Heaven, The Dispossed, and Left Hand of Darkness.
I am deeply affected by her writing and her point of view, which is laid bare without being didactic. She is never forceful in her conclusions, and her writing poses more questions and reconsiderations than it does answer anything, which I’m starting to believe is the most rewarding part of reading, and something which I want to strive towards in my creative output. Granted, with a novel, you are consuming at the pace dictated by the writing – with other types of work, you aren’t afforded the same environment of length and breadth to subtly get your point across. However at the finishing of the three novels mentioned, I always feel nourished, with new things to think about.
I’ll have to say so far that Dispossessed is the most incredible one. The tone, the worldbuilding, the macro level philosophy of living, and how it affects everything that the people do, is stunning. The format of the chapters, reinforcing the ‘cycle’, incredible. The philosophical ruminations on time, community, love, and sociality, illuminating and revealing. I was hooked throughout. I will likely let it sit for a long time before re-reading, but I’m anxious to revisit already.
I’ve watched some interviews with her, and am struck by how plain she can be with her words. She is a clear communicator and doesn’t waver from her point. I appreciate her greatly and almost wish I’d read her sooner, but am grateful that her writing entered my life at this point in time.