The Language of the Night
Original cover for the 1979 edition
Featuring a new introduction by Ken Liu, this revised edition of Ursula K. Le Guin’s first full-length collection of essays covers her background as a writer and educator, on fantasy and science fiction, on writing, and on the future of literary science fiction.
Le Guin’s sharp and witty voice is on full display in this collection of twenty-four essays, revised by the author a decade after its initial publication in 1979. The collection covers a wide range of topics and Le Guin’s origins as a writer, her advocacy for science fiction and fantasy as mediums for true literary exploration, the writing of her own major works such as A Wizard of Earthsea and The Left Hand of Darkness, and her role as a public intellectual and educator. The book and each thematic section are brilliantly introduced and contextualized by Susan Wood, a professor at the University of British Columbia and a literary editor and feminist activist during the 1960s and ’70s.
A fascinating, intimate look into the exceptional mind of Le Guin whose insights remain as relevant and resonant today as when they were first published.
First published in 1979 by Putnam, it was reissued in a revised version by HarperCollins in 1992. A new edition, with an introduction from Ken Liu, is coming from Scribner on May 14, 2024.
Praise
“… The most attractive introduction to science fiction yet to appear.”
—The Washington Post
“This work by one of fantasy and sf's greats is a welcome treat for anyone who loves words and stories.”
“If you want evidence that people are thinking and writing about science fiction these days with sophistication and good sense, you need go no further than this volume.”
Essays Included
“A Citizen of Mondath”
“Why Are Americans Afraid of Dragons?”
“Dreams Must Explain Themselves”
“National Book Award Acceptance Speech” (for The Farthest Shore, 1973)
“The Child and the Shadow”’
“Myth and Archetype in Science Fiction”
“From Elfland to Poughkeepsie”
“Science Fiction and Mrs. Brown”
“Do-It-Yourself Cosmology”
“Introduction to Rocannon's World”
“Introduction to Planet of Exile”
“Introduction to City of Illusions”
“Introduction to The Word for World Is Forest”
“Introduction to The Left Hand of Darkness”
“Is Gender Necessary?” (in the original edition)/“Is Gender Necessary? Redux” (in the revised edition)
“The Staring Eye”
“The Modest One”
“Introduction to Star Songs of an Old Primate”
“Introduction to The Altered I” (excerpt)
“Talking About Writing”
“Escape Routes”
“The Stalin in the Soul”
“The Stone Ax and the Muskoxen”
Reviews and Articles
“The Language of the Night: Le Guin’s Essays on Why We Shouldn’t Fear Dragons” by Sean Guynes, Tor.com (9 December 2020)
Review at Publishers Weekly (4 May 1992)
“Le Guin's Fantasy” by Franz Rottensteiner, Science Fiction Studies (March 1981)
“Science Fiction's Queen of the Night” by Monroe K. Spears, The Washington Post (28 October 1979)