Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing

"Que yo sea consciente de la inmensidad de mi ignorancia no implica que me guste hacer gala de ello." Esta frase, casi al principio del volumen, no hace más que resumir la actitud honesta de la autora frente a los muchos temas tratados en sus entrevistas con el escritor David Naimon y publicadas poco después de la muerte de Le Guin.
No leo ciencia ficción, que en general no me interesa, por eso elegí este libro para conocerla. En todo caso, sus opiniones sobre la escritura, sus influencias literarias, sus recomendaciones, la importancia del ritmo tanto en la poesía como en la novela, etc., me parecen interesantes porque nacen de su experiencia. Pero non van más allá de este ameno librito de unas 100 páginas, pero en fin.
El libro show more también contiene pequeños textos de Le Guin y alguna historia, como la de la escritora Mary Foote cuya obra fue fagocitada por el también escritor Wallace Stegner tras conseguir parte de su correspondencia personal y una autobiografía que prácticamente había pasado desapercibida, como ejemplo de la ocultación de las mujeres en la Literatura.
La autora también da unas pinceladas sobre el concepto de apropiación cultural y asume como algo natural el tener que aceptar algunos gestos como gestos inevitablemente políticos. "¿Cómo se puede escribir sobre naturaleza sin…-- bueno, tendré que llamarlo política --, sin que se cuele en el poema lo que le hemos hecho al mundo?"
Casi es revelador, en el momento que estamos viviendo, sus comentarios hacia aquellos que sienten rechazo a la ciencia, porque "nos dice que no somos el centro del universo. Y es que no los somos", lo que pone nerviosa a mucha gente.
Me quedo con otra frase que parece iluminadora para determinados momentos de la vida y es cuando nos aconseja "descubrir qué preguntas no tienen respuesta y no darles respuesta: esa es la habilidad más necesaria en tiempos convulsos y oscuros."


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In the last months of her life, Ursula K. Le Guin did a series of interview with David Naimon for Oregon radio station KBOO, and they decided to turn those interviews into a book. This is that book, which Le Guin did not live quite long enough to see in print. It's now a finalist for the Hugo Awards in the Best Related Work category.

There are three sections--a conversation about fiction, a conversation about poetry, and a conversation about non-fiction. Le Guin, of course, wrote all three, and did all three well.

These conversations are lively, interesting, informative, and entertaining. Le Guin always expressed herself well, and was both brilliant and knowledgeable. Her perspective on writing, the publishing industry, what genre is and show more isn't our relationship to the natural world, and why imagination is so suspect in America, and "animal stories" relegated to children's reading throughout the western world. are provocative and persuasive.

This is a short book, and well worth your time. Highly recommended!

I received this ebook as part of the 2019 Hugo Voters Packet, and am reviewing it voluntarily. show less

Between the palm-sized hard covers of this book is a treasure of wisdom from one of American’s great writers. In 2018, before her death, Ursula K. Le Guin sat down with David Naimon to discuss, yes, writing, but also so, so much more. Naimon is an excellent interviewer, but it really is more a conversation between himself and Ursula. Whether or not you have ever read any of her fiction, poetry or other works, this little book might blow your mind

This is a a slim volume, and reads even faster than you'd think from its size; it's a set of transcripts of radio interviews she did, one on fiction, one on nonfiction, one on poetry (more of Le Guin's late-life strategy of collecting and organizing her work in action). While I guess I'm glad it exists, and it contains a number of Le Guin's usual insights (it was nice to hear her on, for example animal poetry, or conflict in fiction, or the use of tense and voice) it all feels a bit pointless. Mostly Naimon asks Le Guin about things she'd said and done elsewhere (as one does, I suppose), and you kind of get the feeling you'd be better off reading those other things that are being discussed to get the real insights. Like, the nonfiction show more interview is mostly about her 2016 collection Words Are My Matter, and I felt like I didn't learn anything I didn't learn better from reading the actual book. Valuable for the Le Guin completist (and I am one!), but hard to recommend to a more casual fan. show less

The recently deceased LeGuin was best known for writing in the science fiction genre and poetry. Neither of those areas hold much attraction for me, but I'm drawn to her nonfiction writing, which she considered her weakest area. The way her mind works is fascinating, many viewpoints I wouldn't have considered. This is a small book based on interviews in preparation for publication when she died. Contains references to some of her other writings. Perhaps best for someone familiar with her work, but also a fine introduction.

This is a lovely book, beautifully made and with the clarity of the spoken word. It’s based on David Naimon’s interviews with Le Guin. The three interviews cover Le Guin’s fiction, poetry, & non-fiction, with each integrating quotations from Le Guin’s works and others that illustrate her ideas, much as in Steering The Craft. Naimon clearly read Le Guin thoroughly, and the care of his questions is reflected in her responses (not always answers…).

Picked this up while waiting in line at a book signing. Published just after her death, the interviews touch on several themes in story-telling and writing which were important to Le Guin - everything from women as authors to her love of Orwell to the use of singular 'they' as a nondescript pronoun. Definitely made me curious to read her other non-fiction, although this book in itself was too short to be satisfying.