Language of the Night

A genre-defining collection from one of literature’s most visionary minds. Le Guin on writing, wonder and the power of imagination.

This revised edition of Ursula K. Le Guin’s first full-length collection of essays on writing and the future of literary science fiction.

In Language of the Night, Ursula K. Le Guin reflects on genre, imagination and the ethical work of writing. Illuminating the making of major works such as A Wizard of Earthsea and The Left Hand of Darkness, Le Guin argues for science fiction and fantasy as literary modes that sustain philosophical, political and emotional inquiry. She considers artistic responsibility, the uses of myth, the craft of storytelling, and the role of the writer as teacher and public intellectual. This wide-ranging collection traces Le Guin's emergence as one of the defining literary voices of the twentieth century, championing the imagination as a vital instrument of freedom.