The Wave in the Mind
On sale
4th February 2027
Price: £12.99
‘Le Guin was a true original, and she showed what is possible’ Katherine Rundell
Le Guin’s vast imagination spanned vast distances. She was the author of countless essays, poems, stories and novels, much of it genre-expanding science fiction or fantasy. In this wide-ranging essay collection, first published in 2004 when she was in her seventies, the beloved, trailblazing author explores all the ways in which imagination interacts with life, giving us the subversive power to make art, change and hope.
She brings her customary wisdom to subjects as eclectic and essential as feminism, ageing, hope, oppression, poetry, shoes, the sacredness of public libraries and the magic of real human conversation – with every piece as prescient, humorous and insightful as her thoughts on how to write it all down.
‘She has the force of a philosopher, but the pacing and texture of a master storyteller’ Zadie Smith
Le Guin’s vast imagination spanned vast distances. She was the author of countless essays, poems, stories and novels, much of it genre-expanding science fiction or fantasy. In this wide-ranging essay collection, first published in 2004 when she was in her seventies, the beloved, trailblazing author explores all the ways in which imagination interacts with life, giving us the subversive power to make art, change and hope.
She brings her customary wisdom to subjects as eclectic and essential as feminism, ageing, hope, oppression, poetry, shoes, the sacredness of public libraries and the magic of real human conversation – with every piece as prescient, humorous and insightful as her thoughts on how to write it all down.
‘She has the force of a philosopher, but the pacing and texture of a master storyteller’ Zadie Smith
Reviews
An eloquent advocate of fantasy and the creative imagination . . . Le Guin's no-nonsense attitude is refreshingly clear and direct . . . Le Guin's down-to-earth, intensely personal voice is unmistakable
Le Guin here proves herself to be a skilled and thought-provoking writer of nonfiction as well. Her persnickety, opinionated voice often leaps off the page
Essential reading for anyone who imagines herself literate and/or socially concerned or who wants to learn what it means to be such . . . Le Guin is invariably thoughtful; she engages and challenges her readers' minds and values while exploring her own voice and modeling good prose style
Piquant, morally lucid, and enlivening . . . Le Guin considers the pleasures and significance of reading, the true meaning of literacy, the power of the imagination, and the writer's responsibility
What a pleasure it is to roam around in Le Guin's spacious, playful mind. And what a joy to read her taut, elegant prose