The Language of the Night

In Language of the Night, Ursula K. Le Guin reflects on genre and the ethical work of writing, championing the imagination as a vital instrument of freedom. 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. This wide-ranging collection considers artistic responsibility, the uses of myth, the craft of storytelling, and the role of the writer as teacher and public intellectual. It charts Le Guin's emergence as one of the defining literary voices of the twentieth century, while also considering what she calls the 'journey of self-knowledge' - a psychic and moral journey into the unconscious, whose perils and rewards are best expressed through the symbolic language of dreams, fantasy and fairy tales.