The Radical Science Fiction of Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin is my favorite science fiction writer. She is, quite possibly, the greatest science fiction writer ever. In this video, I tell the story of her career and discuss some of the philosophy behind it all.

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The best place to start with Le Guin is either The Dispossessed (my favorite) or The Left Hand of Darkness. Library of America has a two volume set of all of Le Guin’s Hainish Cycle, and that includes both books: https://amzn.to/46JIbuM

There is a fresh documentary about Le Guin. I consulted it heavily for this video. It can be rented or purchased from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3LVlyvE

To understand Le Guin thought process, the collection ‘The Language of the Night’ is indispensable. It is out of print and expensive, sadly. You may be able to find a PDF somewhere: https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?151671

Even if you don’t love fantasy, Earthsea is essential: https://amzn.to/46H2XLB

For a sample of Le Guin’s later writing, I recommend the Library of America’s edition of Always Coming Home: https://amzn.to/3Q9PvKW

For the philosophical background to engage with Le Guin, check out the following books.

Kropotkin’s Mutual Aid: https://amzn.to/3PMLc6Y
Bookchin’s Ecology of Freedom: https://amzn.to/3ZLMDXR
Jung’s Man and His Symbols: https://amzn.to/3ZS6ftd
Tao Te Ching: https://amzn.to/3ZPRw1P

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00:00 - Introduction
00:34 - The Pulps
01:13 - The New Wave
01:46 - Philosophical Background
03:19 - The Early Years
04:30 - A Wizard of Earthsea
05:45 - Some Context and Caveats
06:41 - From 1969 to 1974
07:19 - The Left Hand of Darkness
09:02 - The Dispossessed
09:54 - Le Guin's Influence
11:27 - Thanks