Ursula K Le Guin – A Grandmaster Of Science Fiction
With deep regret we learned of the death of Ms Le Guin, a visionary and highly influential author of Science Fiction for both adults and children. Her writing reflected her background: her father was an anthropologist and her mother a writer, allowing her to consider alternative ways of life when many writers stayed within the conventions of their time. Ms Le Guins’s most famous books are The Left Hand Of Darkness, The Dispossessed and the Earthsea series, but she was a prolific author – a personal favourite is The Lathe Of Heaven. As for influence, having herself been inspired by Lord Dunsany, Theodore Sturgeon, Cordwainer Smith and Tolkein, she went on to influence many well-known authors including David Mitchell, Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, Zadie Smith, J K Rowling, George R R Martin, Iain Banks and Terry Pratchett – a fine legacy indeed.
Dr Evilla writes: ‘Like many others I first encountered Ursula Le Guin as a child, through the Earthsea Trilogy, which I read avidly. Since then I’ve sought out her writing and never been disappointed. If you haven’t read any of her work, treat yourself; my personal favourite is The Lathe Of Heaven, but there are so many others to choose from’.