Ursula K. Le Guin | |
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Le Guin at a reading in Danville, California, 2008
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Born | Ursula Kroeber October 21, 1929 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Novelist |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater |
Radcliffe College (B.A.) Columbia University (M.A.) |
Period | c. 1962–present |
Genre | Science fiction, fantasy |
Spouse | Charles Le Guin (m. 1953–present); 3 children |
Website | |
ursulakleguin |
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (US /ˈɜːrsələ ˈkroʊbər ləˈɡwɪn/; born October 21, 1929) is an American author of novels, children's books, and short stories, mainly in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. She has also written poetry and essays. First published in the 1960s, her work has often depicted futuristic or imaginary alternative worlds in politics, the natural environment, gender, religion, sexuality and ethnography. In 2016, The New York Times described her as "America's greatest living science fiction writer", although she herself has said she would prefer to be known as an "American novelist".
She influenced such Booker Prize winners and other writers as Salman Rushdie and David Mitchell – and notable science fiction and fantasy writers including Neil Gaiman and Iain Banks. She has won the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Locus Award, and World Fantasy Award, each more than once. In 2014, she was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. In 2003 she was made a Grandmaster of Science Fiction, one of only a handful of women writers to take the top honour in a genre that has come to be dominated by male writers. Le Guin has resided in Portland, Oregon, since 1959.