Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin is an American science fiction and fantasy author highly acclaimed for her works that feature philosophical, feminist, and environmental explorations of gender, identity, and power. Born on October 21, 1929, in Berkeley, California, Le Guin published her first book, The Tombs of Atuan, in 1971 and has since authored over 100 works, including novels, short stories, and poems, as well as numerous essays and other nonfiction pieces. She won numerous awards for her work, including the National Book Award for "The Farthest Shore" and the Arthur C. Clarke Award for "The Left Hand of Darkness."

Ursula K. Le Guin was born into a family of teachers. Her father, Alfred Louis Kroeber, was an accomplished anthropologist, and her mother, Theodora Kroeber, was a writer and novelist. Le Guin attended College of the Pacific (now known as the University of the Pacific) and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Renaissance French and Italian literature in 1952. She continued her education at Columbia University, where she earned a Master’s Degree in French and Italian literature in 1959.

Le Guin’s interest in science fiction began when she read C.S. Lewis’s Narnia chronicles and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy as a child. She wrote her first story at the age of nine and kept writing through her teenage years. Le Guin found success as an author with her debut novel, The Tombs of Atuan, which was published in 1971. The novel was part of the Earthsea Cycle and told the story of a young girl named Tenar. Tenar is taken from her home and forced to serve in the tombs of Atuan, a male-dominated temple, and must battle religious, gender, and power issues as she matures.

Following The Tombs of Atuan, Le Guin wrote three more novels in the Earthsea Cycle, and went on to write many other works, including The Left Hand of Darkness, the Lathe of Heaven, and the Dispossessed. She also wrote several nonfiction books and many essays, often focusing on feminism and gender.

Le Guin is considered one of the leading science fiction and fantasy authors of all time, and her books are often used as teaching materials in academic settings. She was the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Book Award, the Kirkus Prize, and the Newbery Medal. In 2014, Le Guin received an honorary National Book Foundation Medal for her contributions to American literature.

Le Guin died on January 22, 2018, in Portland, Oregon at the age of 88. She left behind an incredible legacy of works that have inspired many, and will continue to inspire many more for generations to come.