Words are my matter: writings about life and books 2000-2016

Ursula Le Guin (1929-2018) was largely an author of science fiction and fantasy books for children and adults. A Wizard of Earthsea was one of a series of fantasy novels written for children. One of her adult science fiction novels is The Dispossessed.

Words are my matter is a series of talks, introductions to books and book reviews that Ursula Le Guin wrote over a sixteen year period. The book is divided into sections containing these groups of material.

The section containing introductions to books and notes on authors is arranged by the surname of the writer. Many of the introductions were written for books published in new editions and therefore include classics such as H G Wells, The Time Machine and Pasternak's Dr Zhivago. The book review section is arranged by author of the book reviewed. However the collection of talks is arranged chronologically by the date the talk was presented. In a number of these talks Ursula Le Guin discusses the opinions about the possible demise of physical books by e-books, genre books considered inferior literature by organisations presenting literary awards and the perception that books written by female authors are considered inferior to those written by male authors.

The reviews include books written by Margaret Atwood, J G Ballard, Roberto Bolano, T C Boyle, Geraldine Brooks, Italo Calvino, Carol Emshwiller, Margaret Drabble, Alan Garner, Kent Haruf, Tove Jansson, Barbara Kingsolver, Chanf-Rae Lee, Donna Leon, Doris Lessing, Yann Martel, China Mieville, David Mitchell, Jan Morris, Julie Otsuka, Salman Rushdie, Jose Sarmago, Sylvia Townsend Warner, Jeanette Winterson and Stefan Zweig.

An interesting collection of articles about reading, books and their authors. This is a book that you can dip into and choose which section to read as the mood takes you.

The Dispossessed

Ursula Le Guin died in January. She was eighty-nine and was well known for her writing of Science Fiction and Fantasy for adults and teenagers. Many years ago I read the first of her Earthsea books. I decided that I should read read some more of her work and chose The Dispossessed.

The book is set on two planets, Anarres and Urras. One hundred and fifty years earlier a group of people from Urras decided to leave that planet to set up a new (and better) settlement on nearby Anarras. But over time life in the new settlement, for some, is far from perfect. Shevek is a physicist disillusioned with restrictions placed on the publication of new ideas on Anarres who decides to travel to Urras where he hopes that his research will be accepted.

Becoming accustomed to a new way of life is at first difficult for Shevek, the environment in which he is now living and working being entirely different from that on Anarras. However he soon discovers that all is not right on the planet and that, for many of the population, life is far from ideal. Shevek must decide how to counter the politics and power struggles he encounters to ensure that his research is published for the benefit of all, and not just a few. Doing so, however, places his life in danger.

I did not find this book easy to read however I wanted to keep reading it. Each chapter is set on Annares or Urras and alternates from the life that Shevek is currently experiencing as well as recounting what has gone before. The two parallel accounts eventually converge to provide the ending of the story. A number of reviews of the book, originally published in 1974, mention that the reviewer had read the book more than once and I suspect that I really need to read the book a second time to fully appreciate this novel.