Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guinis an American author of novels, children's books, and short stories, mainly in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. She has also written poetry and essays. First published in the 1960s, her work has often depicted futuristic or imaginary alternative worlds in politics, the natural environment, gender, religion, sexuality and ethnography...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth21 October 1929
CountryUnited States of America
writing doors fiction
I came into science fiction at a very good time, when the doors were getting thrown open to all kinds of more experimental writing, more literary writing, riskier writing. It wasn't all imitation Heinlein or Asimov. And of course, women were creeping in, infiltrating. Infesting the premises.
men doors might
But it doesn't take a thousand men to open a door, my lord." "It might to keep it open.
drama doors perception
Fiction—and poetry and drama— cleanse the doors of perception.
children thinking doors
What is a woman's power then?" she asked. "I don't think we know." "When has a woman power because she's a woman? With her children, I suppose. For a while..." "In her house, maybe." She looked around the kitchen. "But the doors are shut," she said, "the doors are locked." "Because you're valuable." "Oh yes. We're precious. So long as we're powerless.
doors firsts world
First sentences are doors to worlds.
afraid believe blames caring daughter ensuring forever gets grows hair home male means mother percent seven shining sisterhood teeth thighs thin trapped woman women
A Woman is home caring for her children! even if she can't. Trapped in this well-built trap, A Woman blames her mother for luring her into it, while ensuring that her own daughter never gets out; she recoils from the idea of sisterhood and doesn't believe women have friends, because it probably means something unnatural, and anyhow, A Woman is afraid of women. She's a male construct, and she's afraid women will deconstruct her. She's afraid of everything, because she can't change. Thighs forever thin and shining hair and shining teeth and she's my Mom, too, all seven percent of her. And she never grows old.
basically breaks constructs custom male order power rule values women
To me the ''female principle'' is, or at least historically has been, basically anarchic. It values order without constraint, rule by custom not by force. It has been the male who enforces order, who constructs power structures, who makes, enforces, and breaks laws.
above achieve compassion imagination
It is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception and compassion and hope.
good journey matters
It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.
cast
To light a candle is to cast a shadow.
cannot deals medium novelist says whose
The artist deals in what cannot be said in words. The artist whose medium is fiction does this in words. The novelist says in words what cannot be said in words.
stories may helping
To see that your life is a story while you're in the middle of living it may be a help to living it well.
freedom responsibility absolute-freedom
Absolute freedom is absolute responsibility.
classes glad living strange teach telling
I don't teach writing classes anymore, and I'm really glad I don't, because I would feel very strange about telling people, 'Go out there and be a writer, and make a living from it.'