Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader, and the Imagination
February 16, 2004
Principally known as a writer of fantasy fiction, Le Guin here proves herself to be a skilled and thought-provoking writer of nonfiction as well. Her persnickety, opinionated voice often leaps off the page, and, at her best, she guides readers easily through the vast realm of her ideas, from her thoughts on slavery and oppression and her opposition to E. O. Wilson's genetic determinism, to complex considerations of her favorite authors: Virginia Woolf, Mark Twain and J. R. R. Tolkein. One particularly fascinating essay,"Indian Uncles," allows readers a glimpse into Le Guin's family's history, especially of her anthropologist father's work with Native American men. However, the collection's uneven selection of pieces may leave readers longing for more of the interesting topics and fewer of the drafty prose explorations (e.g.,"On Being Taken for Granite"). Le Guin's academically rigorous, but hard to follow, examination of verse and rhythm ("Stress-Rhythm in Poetry and Prose") may also lose most readers, and, in general, one can't help wishing that a stronger editorial hand had winnowed the inclusions a bit more. Nonetheless, the collection includes enough gems to make it a must-read for Le Guin's many fans.
March 15, 2004
Le Guin enjoys an honored reputation as a winner of the National Book Award, as well as of the Hugo, Nebula, Gandalf, and Kafka awards. She has produced more than 15 novels, as well as works of literary criticism, poetry, and even children's literature. In this collection of essays, organized into thematic categories (e.g., "Personal Matters," "Readings," "Discussions and Opinions," and "On Writing"), she explores a variety of subjects through personal vignettes that give insight into her values. The essays also provide perceptive literary criticism on works by a wide range of authors, from Jorge Luis Borges to Mark Twain; incisive comments on fiction vs. nonfiction; and discussion of gender, beauty, literacy, privilege, and the writer's role and character. Le Guin is invariably thoughtful; she engages and challenges her readers' minds and values while exploring her own voice and modeling good prose style. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.-Carolyn M. Craft, Longwood Univ., Farmville, VA
Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2004
Le Guin is stimulating company. A profoundly creative and prolific fiction writer who has won a half-dozen major awards and enticed readers to science fiction who otherwise might not have ventured into that fantastic terrain, she is also a forthright, incisive, and funny essayist. In her second nonfiction collection, a piquant, morally lucid, and enlivening volume graced with a well-chosen phrase of Virginia Woolf's, Le Guin considers the pleasures and significance of reading, the true meaning of literacy, the power of the imagination, and the writer's responsibility. On a memoiristic note, she remembers her anthropologist father and Native American family friends. On the literary plane, she praises libraries as sacred places that embody freedom, pays homage to Borges and Twain, dissects the assumptions behind the designation "creative nonfiction," and analyzes the "rhythms of prose." And Le Guin is breathtakingly hilarious on the subjects of age, beauty, and womanhood. Candid, earthy, and deeply involved in the human experience, Le Guin is artist, mentor, and friend.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)