In her works Le Guin explored humanity’s darkness — and potential for redemption. The exhibit will display art installations, manuscripts, ephemera and more.
On a personal level, I have a few things in common with acclaimed American author, poet and activist Ursula K. Le Guin, but the most obvious among them is the fact that I’m also a Portland-based writer (who aspires to write books). Three years ago, I also became a mother, and I am now a mother of two. Looking at Le Guin’s career trajectory, and the fact that she had three children between 1957 and 1964, to say this woman’s quality control and output volume was impressive would be an understatement.
Unlike myself (so far), Le Guin was a genius writer, artist and thinker who loved exploring the big questions through storytelling, not necessarily with the purpose of answering them herself, but for the characters to feel out, and for the reader to ponder. During her life, Le Guin wrote 21 novels, 11 volumes of short stories, 12 children’s books (please see the popular picture book “Catwings”), four collections of essays, six volumes of poetry, and four of translation, including the Chinese classic text Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching. Whether taking notes as a writer, reader, thinker or mother, there is still a breadth of knowledge and wisdom to glean from Le Guin’s work, her words and her life.
With curation led by her son, literary executor Theo Downes-Le Guin, the upcoming exhibit “A Larger Reality: Ursula K. Le Guin,” will include art installations, audio, video, manuscripts, ephemera, archival photos and interactive experiences. Opening on Halloween at Oregon Contemporary, the exhibit includes contributions from a bevy of others who knew the author or her work well.
There’s also an accompanying book, “A Larger Reality,” a compilation of poems, stories, essays, talks and illustrations by Le Guin. The Oregon Contemporary website mentions “places to lean back and unwind, and places to lean in and engage,” offering different levels of engagement for both fans and Le Guin novices.
Brought up in Berkeley, California, in what she calls an unusual, highly intellectual household, Le Guin was exposed to folks from various cultures, religions and walks of life. This helped Le Guin cultivate an ever-expanding understanding that there are a multitude of ways and different types of societies in which humans can live. That understanding informed her ability to imagine, and convincingly build other worlds and cultures.
In 1959, LeGuin and her husband, Charles, moved to Portland, where they would live for the rest of their lives. It is somewhat encouraging to realize that the prolific Le Guin was 37 (my current age), when she wrote her first published novel in 1966; and she was 39 in 1968 when she published “A Wizard of Earthsea,” the beginning of her genre-defining Earthsea fantasy series, for which she became the first author to fully flesh out the “magic school for wizards” idea — a first that J.K. Rowling would go on to quietly accept credit for decades later.
Part of the New Wave sci-fi movement of the 1960s and 1970s, Le Guin was one of several writers whose curious, open-minded nature and strong sense of morality pushed the genre in a new direction, often exploring themes of power and identity. Many also credit Le Guin’s influence for the popularity and general prevalence of socially conscious themes in her genre, as well as for playing a big part in breaking down the walls of fiction’s subgenres. Having become famous for her works of speculative fiction, science fiction and fantasy, Le Guin could never be put in a box.
Though Le Guin passed away in 2018, we — Portlanders, Oregonians, writers, artists, fans, thinkers and world citizens — can and should look to her legacy, continually revisit her wise words and follow her profound example.
Balance, baby
A voracious reader of topics like non-violent resistance, pacifist anarchism, feminism and philosophical Taoism, Le Guin was drawn to anarchists who focus on mutuality, interdependence and solidarity. She was fascinated by the idea of a world free of hierarchy and oppression, in which freely associating individuals worked together for the greater good. In general, these ideas came through in themes about identity, power and the consequences of violence; and in “Earthsea,” balance and equilibrium as it relates to Taoist principles.
In addition to “A Wizard of Earthsea” (1968), among Le Guin’s most remarkable works are “The Left Hand of Darkness” (1969), a Hainish universe story way ahead of its time in terms of gender fluidity that explored themes of gender, sexuality and the limitations of gender roles via a fictional planet where humans have no fixed sex. (The book won both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards for best novel, making Le Guin the first woman to win them.) “The Lathe of Heaven” (1971) is about a man whose dreams have the power to alter the past and present reality; and “The Dispossessed” (1974) criticized established social structures and considered the potential for a genuinely free and utopian anarchist society.
Inspired by Le Guin’s anger over the Vietnam War, and exploring themes of colonialism and militarism, her 1973 book, “The Word for World Is Forest,” is widely thought to be one of the major sources of inspiration for the film Avatar, which Le Guin once said completely flipped around the message and the spirit of her book. Both tackle human colonialism of an alien planet, resource exploitation and the oppression of an Indigenous community. Her short story, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” depicts a utopian society in the city of Omelas, whose entire well-being and success is wholly dependent upon the pain and misery of one child.
She also wrote about the craft of writing in “Steering the Craft,” and she was adamant about supporting independent bookstores. While accepting the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution in American Letters at the 2014 National Book Awards, Le Guin continued her lifelong career of calling out harmful power structures, criticizing Amazon and the control it exerted over the publishing industry, specifically referencing Amazon’s treatment of the Hachette Book Group during a dispute over e-book publication.
Feminism
Le Guin advocated for women writers to “have it all,” and not feel like they have to choose between career and family — also realistically noting that it’s not possible and unadvisable for one person to do two full-time jobs, but absolutely possible for two people to do three full-time jobs. Le Guin’s writing schedule was certainly constrained when her children were young; she began publishing her groundbreaking book series when her children were 4, 9 and 11.
As in her 1978 novel “The Eye of the Heron,” Le Guin’s career and activism consistently centered on women’s realities, issues affecting marginalized communities and re-evaluating harmful power structures — like confronting the societal burden placed on women and mothers balancing career and family life. As in “The Fisherwoman’s Daughter” essay from her book “Dancing at the Edge of the World,” a collection of talks, essays and book/movie reviews from 1989.
In the 1970s and 1980s, it was uncommon to read a portrayal of motherhood from the mother’s perspective — let alone a sci-fi story written by a woman. Strikingly, the children in Le Guin’s stories are often represented as full human beings, with motherhood often depicted as a joyful and meaningful role, as opposed to portraying children as weighty, burdensome, life-sucking offspring.
During a 17-year hiatus from the “Earthsea” series, Le Guin became increasingly influenced by feminist literary criticism — a period in which Le Guin once said she “learned how to be a feminist,” and started to write like a woman instead of an “honorary man,” and stopped subconsciously imitating the masculine writing style that was so prominent at the time. Le Guin revisited her “Earthsea” series in “Tehanu” (1990), the fourth book in the series, and challenged some of its ideas. Notably, the fourth installment directly confronts and critiques the patriarchal world established in the earlier “Earthsea” books, where men hold all the magic and power. In Earthsea’s male-dominated society, the “women’s work” of homemaking, healing and rearing children is dismissed and devalued as insignificant. The magic of witches like Le Guin’s Moss character is seen as inferior to the high magic of the male wizards. In “Tehanu,” Le Guin deliberately elevates these domestic and marginalized artforms to show their importance.
Garnering Le Guin her third Nebula Award for Best Novel, the book shifts the concept of power away from the grandiose, masculine demonstrations of magic and moves to focus on the quiet, powerful strength of everyday domestic life. The main character, Tenar, finds empowerment from her role as a mother and nurturer, rejecting the path of a powerful mage to instead live a simple but thoroughly fulfilling life.
In the last decade of her life, Le Guin voiced her disenchantment with the modern feminist movement on more than one occasion, specifically criticizing the trend of stories repeatedly creating cookie-cutter female versions of male heroes; strong fighting sheroes who act, think and talk just like their male counterparts, right down to the sci-fi trope that violence solves problems.
She repeatedly acknowledged how formative and validating the women’s movement of the 1960s and 1970s was for her development as a writer and a feminist, helping her learn to honor and write from her own perspective and life experience. When asked during a 2015 talk if she believed there had been progress toward making more room for feminine voices in a largely male-dominated genre, Le Guin answered in the affirmative, though she added that it’s more complicated than that.
“Of course, it’s not just the woman’s voice that’s missing,” she said. “Women are… probably the largest part of the voices that have not been heard, and generally speaking, that’s not just women but all kinds of other genders. And in white America, in white Europe, people of color… in a sense it’s the unheard voices. If we are going to get anywhere, we really have to start listening to the voices that we have not listened to because I have to say that the dominant European, white imperial voice has gotten us to where we are and it’s not a very good place to be right now.”
“Earthsea” was initially written for teenagers but ultimately became a lasting example of how Le Guin’s writing has the ability to resonate with readers of all ages.
Her vast catalog of texts stands the test of time, and will, no doubt, continue to ignite imaginations and inspire minds for generations to come. As a fellow writer, I could also listen to her, speak, read and answer random audience questions all day. And it appears I’m not the only one. On YouTube, countless of the late Le Guin’s book talks abound, and typically see her reading passages from her most popular books to sold out, swooning audiences, then fielding myriad questions from aspiring writers, students and sci-fi fans. They ask Le Guin about everything from creativity and her personal writing process, to where she gets her inspiration and story ideas, to what she makes of this present cultural, existential moment on our planet. Even when the questions are basic, Le Guin’s responses are always measured, thought-provoking and brimming with compassion. And indeed, Le Guin prioritized connection with her avid readership.
Le Guin was not a social media user, though she did read and respond to her own email, and even answered her own phone. In the years since his mother’s 2018 death, Downes-Le Guin has been sharing some of his mother’s work, words and legacy on social media, and he’s warned there will come a time when Le Guin’s social media accounts will cease. However, a couple weeks before the exhibition, Downes-Le Guin also announced the launch of a new Ursula K. Le Guin newsletter.
In 2010, she started a blog, where she offers practical nuggets of advice that are still painfully relevant, from her musings on politics, American life, art and more. In a blog from February 2017, Le Guin compared the rise of President Donald Trump to Reagan’s mastery of television — and the subsequent obfuscation of our news media into a 24/7 entertainment machine.
“When he does something weird (which he does constantly in order to keep media attention on him), look not at him but at the people whom his irresponsible acts or words affect — the Republicans who try to collaborate with him (like collaborating with a loose cannon), the Democrats and Government employees he bullies, the statesmen from friendly countries he offends, the ordinary people he uses, insults, and hurts,” she wrote. “Look away from him, and at the people who are working desperately to save what they can save of our Republic and our hope of avoiding nuclear catastrophe. Look away from him, and at reality, and things begin to get back into proportion. I honestly believe the best thing to do is turn whatever it is OFF whenever he’s on it, in any way. He is entirely a creature of the media. He is a media golem. If you take the camera and mike off him, if you take your attention off him, nothing is left — mud.”
Portland’s obsession with its favorite American author is basically set in stone, and Le Guin is pretty much literary royalty — her spirit continues to live on in a multitude of ways. One exciting way: Literary Arts is working and fundraising to honor Le Guin by preserving the Portland home where she lived and worked for more than 50 years, and converting it to a residency program where diverse cohorts of writers can have dedicated time and a serene space to work — something the author emphasized is vital to aspiring writers who are parents, particularly mothers.
Arguably the most important and influential science fiction writer of all time, and one of Oregon’s best-known artists, Ursula K. Le Guin is beloved for her distinctly poetic writing style, epic versatility, ethical prowess, defying expectations, rule breaking and undying obsession with mastering language. When she was alive, Le Guin always seemed so present, thoughtful and refreshingly authentic. Gone, she left so much treasure behind to discover.
A Larger Reality will be at Oregon Contemporary from Oct. 31 through Feb. 8. www.oregoncontemporary.org/a-larger-reality
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