Ursula K. Le Guin was born on October 21, 1929 in Berkeley, California. Her father, Alfred Kroeber, was an anthropologist and her mother, Theodora Kroeber, was a writer. Ursula Le Guin graduated from Radcliffe College with a bachelor’s degree in 1951. She then entered Columbia University to earn a master’s degree in 1952. While pursuing a doctorate in French and Italian renaissance literature in France, she met her husband Charles Le Guin. They had three children: Elisabeth, Caroline, and Theodore.
Ursula Le Guin’s family was quite close, and she grew up in a household where religious beliefs were unbiased. She claims that she was “brought up to think and to question and to enjoy.” She was exposed to a vast amount of books, which contributed to her early interest in reading and writing. Once Ursula Le Guin began to write stories, she found that many people thought of her style as unusual. It became hard for her to find a publisher who believed in the success of her work. It was not until Ursula Le Guin discovered science-fiction was she able to find a place where her “crazy” style of writing fit in. Ursula Le Guin is known for her fantasy fiction and science-fiction works. She is an award winning author, and she was the first woman to win both the Nebula and the Hugo award for her novel The Left Hand of Darkness. She appeals to all audiences through her wide variety of literature, ranging from children’s books to adult novels. Not only are her literary works entertaining, but they address many of the important issues we have in the world, including slavery.
Her common themes include alienation, liberation, ecological and social awareness, and unity through interacting with opposites.
Even in her eighties, Ursula Le Guin is making statements by winning awards and starting petitions. She started a petition against Google in 2010, because they were reproducing works without gaining permission from the publishers. She stated towards the issue, “I want my rights, my copyrights. Google doesn't need them, but I do.” Her stories continue to be successful, and her readers continue to explore her deeper meanings of the “importance of culture, language, belief, and gender roles.”
Works Cited
Carmean, Karen; Williams, Donna Glee; Rich, Mark. “Ursula K. Le Guin.” Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition; January 2010, p1-9. Literary Reference Center Plus. Tarrant County College Lib., Fort Worth, TX. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://ezp.tccd.edu>.
"Ursula K. Le Guin." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 84. Gale, 2010. Gale Biography In Context. Tarrant County College Lib., Fort Worth, TX. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://ezp.tccd.edu>.
"Ursula K. Le Guin." Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of American Literature. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 962-966. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Tarrant County College Lib., Fort Worth, TX. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://ezp.tccd.edu>.
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