The Dispossessed [50th Anniversary Edition]

Ursula K. Le Guin

Hardcover

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One of The Atlantic's Great American Novels

"One of the greats. . . . Not just a science fiction writer; a literary icon." --Stephen King

"Engrossing. . . . [Le Guin] is a philosopher; an explorer in the landscape of the mind." --Cincinnati Enquirer

In celebration of its fiftieth anniversary, a commemorative edition of Ursula K. Le Guin's Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award-winning classic, a profound and thoughtful tale of anarchism and capitalism, individualism and collectivism, and one ambitious man's quest to bridge the ideological chasm separating two worlds. This special edition includes a new foreword by Karen Joy Fowler.

The Dispossessed is the spellbinding story of anarchist Shevek, the "galactically famous scientist," who single-handedly attempts to reunite two planets cut off from each other by centuries of distrust.

Anarres, Shevek's homeland, is a bleak moon settled by an anarchic utopian civilization, where there is no government, and everyone, at least nominally, is a revolutionary. It has long been isolated from other worlds, including its mother planet, Urras--defined by warring nations, great poverty, and immense wealth. Now Shevek, a brilliant physicist, is determined to unify the two civilizations. In the face of great hostility, outright threats, and the pain of separation from his family, he makes an unprecedented trip to Urras. Greater than any concern for his own wellbeing is the belief that the walls of hatred, distrust, and philosophic division between his planet and the rest of the civilized universe must be torn down. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and explore differences in customs and cultures, determined to tear down the walls of hatred that have kept them apart.

To visit Urras--to learn, to teach, to share--will require great sacrifice and risks, which Shevek willingly accepts. Almost immediately upon his arrival, he finds not the egotistical philistines he expected, but an intelligent, complex people who warmly welcome him. But soon the ambitious scientist and his gift is seen as a threat, and in the profound conflict that ensues, he must reexamine his beliefs even as he ignites the fires of change.

Book Details

Publisher: Harper
Publish Date: Nov 19th, 2024
Pages: 384
Language: English
Edition: undefined - undefined
Dimensions: 9.10in - 6.00in - 1.40in - 1.15lb
EAN: 9780063414334
Categories: • Science Fiction - Space Exploration• Literary• Visionary & Metaphysical

About the Author

Le Guin, Ursula K.: -

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) was a celebrated author whose body of work includes twenty-three novels, twelve volumes of short stories, eleven volumes of poetry, thirteen children's books, five essay collections, and four works of translation. The breadth and imagination of her work earned her six Nebula Awards, seven Hugo Awards, and SFWA's Grand Master, along with a PEN/Malamud Award and many others. In 2014, she was awarded the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2016, she joined the short list of authors to be published in their lifetimes by the Library of America.

Fowler, Karen Joy: - KAREN JOY FOWLER is the author of six novels and four short story collections, including We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and Black Glass. She is the winner of the 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award, a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, and has won numerous Nebula and World Fantasy Awards.

Praise for this book

"Le Guin expanded the boundaries of fiction not just by committing to its revolutionary capacities but also by considering deeply, and with great clarity, other ways of being. The Dispossessed, her most intricate and beautifully realized book, channels her lifelong obsessions--Daoism, pacifism, humanity's sacred relationship to the natural world--into a moving story that is also about loneliness, will, and what it means to return home. More than a novel, this is an ontological work of extraordinary imagination and compassion." -- Meng Jin, The Atlantic

"Fifty years later, Ursula K. Le Guin's novel about utopian anarchists is as relevant as ever. . . . Inexhaustibly rich and wise . . . . The arrow of time has sped forward since 1974, but the circles and cycles of Le Guin's masterpiece continue to suggest, with urgent humanity, both present and future." -- Scientific American

"The Dispossessed is still one of Sci-Fi's' smartest books. . . . Remains a thoughtful exploration of politics and economics nearly 50 years later." -- Wired

"The Dispossessed paints a hopeful and complex portrait of a society rooted in collectivism." -- Naomi Klein, The Week

"Le Guin's most philosophical novel. . . . The Dispossessed is a study of character, ideology and the constant of change." -- New York Times

"Written with thought, care--even love." -- Times Literary Supplement (London)

"Le Guin's characters, sepecially Shevek and his family, are complex and haunting, and her writing is remarkable for its sinewy grace." -- Time magazine

"Engrossing . . . Ursula Le Guin is more than just a writer of adult fantasy and science fiction . . . she is a philosopher; an explorer in the landscapes of the mind." -- Cincinnati Enquirer

"A seamless creation: every thing is made up, nothing seems arbitrary." -- New York Times Book Review

"Brilliantly conceived and stunningly executed . . . The setting is science fiction, but the tradition is humanistic, reducing life to its essentials and examining human beings in a real world." -- Chicago Daily News

"The combination of intelligence and imagination sends ideas dancing endlessly around the brain." -- Christian Science Monitor

"Confirm(s) Ms. Le Guin as one of our finest projectionists of brave old and other worlds." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Excellent characterization and meaningful ideas make this one of the most important [science fiction] novels of the last several years." -- Library Journal

"I would be hard pressed to think of another novel that made as strong an impression on me." -- Anthony Ha, author of Love Songs for Monsters

"This remains a challenging and urgent book." -- The Guardian

"Deeply worthwhile reading -- subtle, challenging, exquisitely crafted." -- sfsite.com

"[Ursula Le Guin] . . . is science fiction's best ambassador to the rest of the world, ever. She has done more to show people why this is an important genre--and maybe the mode of literature we need to navigate our way into a very uncertain future--than anyone else ever will." -- Lisa Yaszek, Professor of Science Fiction Studies in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Tech

"One of our finest projectionists of brave old and other worlds." -- Kirkus Reviews