Title:
The language of the night : essays on writing, science fiction, and fantasy
Edition:
Scribner trade paperback edition.
Publication Date:
2024
1979
Publication Information:
New York : Scribner, 2024.
©1979
Physical Description:
xl, 259 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN:
9781668034903
Abstract:
"Le Guin's sharp and witty voice is on full display in this collection of twenty-four essays, revised by the author a decade after its initial publication in 1979. The collection covers a wide range of topics and Le Guin's origins as a writer, her advocacy for science fiction and fantasy as mediums for true literary exploration, the writing of her own major works such as A wizard of Earthsea and The left hand of darkness, and her role as a public intellectual and educator. The book and each thematic section are brilliantly introduced and contextualized by Susan Wood, a professor at the University of British Columbia and a literary editor and feminist activist during the 1960s and '70s. A fascinating, intimate look into the exceptional mind of Le Guin, whose insights remain as relevant and resonant today as when they were first published."-- back cover.
General Note:
Originally published in 1979 by G. P. Putnam's Sons.
"With a new introduction by Ken Liu"--cover.
Contents:
Introduction to The language of the night / by Ken Liu (2024) -- Preface / by Ursula K. Le Guin (1989) -- Introduction / by Susan Wood (1979) -- I: Le Guin introduces Le Guin -- Introduction -- A citizen of Mondath -- II: On fantasy and science fiction -- Introduction -- Why are Americans afraid of dragons? -- Dreams must explain themselves -- National Book Award acceptance speech -- The child and the shadow -- Myth and archetype in science fiction -- From Elfland to Poughkeepsie -- American SF and the other -- Science fiction and Mrs. Brown -- Do-it-yourself cosmology -- III: The book is what is real -- Introduction -- Introduction to Rocannon's world -- Introduction to Planet of exile -- Introduction to City of illusions -- Introduction to The word for world is forest -- Introduction to The left hand of darkness -- Is gender necessary? Redux -- The staring eye -- The modest one -- Introduction to Star songs of an old primate -- IV: Telling the truth -- Introduction -- Introduction to The altered I (excerpt) -- Talking about writing -- Escape routes -- V: Pushing at the limits -- Introduction -- The Stalin in the soul -- The stone ax and the muskoxen.
Genre:
Language:
English
