Dancing at the Edge of the World
On sale
4th February 2027
Price: £12.99
‘A trove of delights’ Los Angeles Times Books Review
Visionary feminist author Ursula K. Le Guin transformed the landscape of science fiction. She knew a thing or two about renewal – but perhaps most importantly, she was not afraid to change her mind.
Spanning 1976 to 1987 and written during Le Guin’s midlife, this mischievous, bighearted and wise collection of essays explores her evolving thoughts on an ocean of topics: from the mechanics of storytelling to menopause, ecological collapse to human marginalia, literature to rodeos. Here, life and art mix wildly and freely to form an exhilarating ode to curiosity, imagination and the power of changing one’s mind – a long-lasting gift from one of our great thinkers.
‘One of the literary greats of the twentieth century’ Margaret Atwood
Visionary feminist author Ursula K. Le Guin transformed the landscape of science fiction. She knew a thing or two about renewal – but perhaps most importantly, she was not afraid to change her mind.
Spanning 1976 to 1987 and written during Le Guin’s midlife, this mischievous, bighearted and wise collection of essays explores her evolving thoughts on an ocean of topics: from the mechanics of storytelling to menopause, ecological collapse to human marginalia, literature to rodeos. Here, life and art mix wildly and freely to form an exhilarating ode to curiosity, imagination and the power of changing one’s mind – a long-lasting gift from one of our great thinkers.
‘One of the literary greats of the twentieth century’ Margaret Atwood
Reviews
Mercurial and eclectic . . . Le Guin's unabashed feminism can be an eye-opener, and much of what she has to say is eminently sensible and often penetrating
Insightful, impassioned, sometimes lyrical, often funny . . . Dancing at the Edge of the World holds . . . a trove of delights'
[Dancing at the Edge of the World], eloquently record[s] Le Guin's responses to ethical and political climates, the transforming effect of certain literary ideas and the changes of a supple, disciplined mind
Interesting and incisive . . . Le Guin at her best
If you want excess and risk and intelligence . . . try Le Guin. She has the rare ability to attack and praise simultaneously [with] irreverent impartiality
Essential reading for anyone who imagines herself literature and/or socially concerned or who wants to learn what it means to be such
Le Guin at her best: insightful, funny, sharp, occasionally tendentious and nearly always provocative . . . This is an important collection of eloquent, elegant pieces by one of our most acclaimed contemporary writers