Born: 21 October 1929, United States
Died: 22 January 2018
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Ursula Kroeber
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin was an American author known for her significant contributions to speculative fiction. Le Guin’s career spanned nearly six decades. She authored over twenty novels, over a hundred short stories, poetry, literary critiques, translations, and children’s books.
Le Guin’s works, which included science fiction set in her Hainish universe and the Earthsea fantasy series, earned her acclaim. Notable among her achievements were “A Wizard of Earthsea” (1968) and “The Left Hand of Darkness” (1969), the latter making her the first woman to win both the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novel. Influenced by cultural anthropology, Taoism, feminism, and the writings of Carl Jung, Le Guin often subverted genre norms, addressed social and political themes, and explored alternative political structures. Her impact on speculative fiction was immense, earning her numerous awards and recognition as a Grand Master of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. She continues to be celebrated as a distinguished American novelist and a trailblazing author in the genre.