Name: Always Coming Home: A Novel
Price: 428.28 ZAR
Availability: InStock
Author: Le Guin, Ursula K. ; Swamy, Shruti
ISBN: 9780358726920

Type

Physical Book

Author

Ursula K. Le Guin

Introduction by

Shruti Swamy

Publisher

Harper Perennial

Language

English

Pages

640

Format

Paperback

ISBN13

9780358726920

Synopsis "Always Coming Home: A Novel "

"One of [Le Guin's] most radical novels. . . . Always Coming Home is a study in what a complete and utter rejection of capitalism and patriarchy might look like--for society and for the art of storytelling."--The MillionsReissued for a new generation of readers, Ursula K. Le Guin's magnificent work of imagination, a visionary, genre-crossing story about a future utopian community on the Northern California coast, hailed as "masterly" (Newsweek), "hypnotic" (People) and "[her] most consistently lyric and luminous book" (New York Times). This new edition includes an introduction by Shruti Swamy, author of A House is a Body.Midway through her career, Ursula K. Le Guin embarked on one of her most detailed, impressive literary projects, a novel that took more than five years to complete. Blending story and fable, poetry, artwork, and song, Always Coming Home is this legendary writer's fictional ethnography of the Kesh, a people of the far future living in a post-apocalyptic Napa Valley.Having survived ecological catastrophe brought on by relentless industrialization, the Kesh are a peaceful people who reject governance and the constriction of genders, limit population growth to prevent overcrowding and preserve resources, and maintain a healthy community in which everyone works to contribute to its well-being. This richly imagined story unfolds through a series of narrated "translations" that illuminate individual lives, including a woman named Stone Telling, who travels beyond the Valley and comes to reside with another tribe, the patriarchal Condor people. With sharp poignancy, Le Guin explores the complexities of the Kesh's unified society and presents to us--in exquisite detail--their lives, histories, adventures, customs, language, and art. In addition to poems and folk tales, Le Guin created verse dramas, records of oral performances, recipes, and even an alphabet and glossary of the Kesh language. The novel is illustrated throughout with drawings by artist Margaret Chodos and includes a musical component--original recordings of Kesh songs that Le Guin collaborated on with composer Todd Barton--bringing this utterly original and compelling world to life.

Ursula K. Le Guin

(Author)

View Author's Page

Ursula K. Le Guin (Berkeley, California, 1929-2018) was a key American author in fantasy literature and science fiction, known for her deep social and philosophical explorations in imaginary worlds. She particularly stood out for two major cycles: the fantasy saga Earthsea - which begins with A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), a story of growth and magic - and the Hainish or Ekumen Cycle, which includes science fiction novels with strong social themes, such as The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) and The Dispossessed (1974).

Her works address complex issues such as gender, politics, anarchism, and ecology, with a critical and humanist approach. She was awarded multiple prestigious prizes, including eight Hugos, six Nebulas, and twenty-two Locus, in addition to the National Book Award and the Newbery Medal. In 2003, she was named Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and received the Alternative Nobel Prize in Literature.

Le Guin left a literary legacy that combines brilliant imagination with deep reflection on the human condition and social justice, establishing herself as an essential voice in twentieth-century literature.

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