A great one has passed. Thank you Ms. LeGuin

[Quillwitch]

US fantasy author Ursula K Le Guin dies

 

[MaryA]

Such a huge influence in the reading lives of so many of us.

 

[Rich.]

I second that. The world of letters is a little emptier today.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I never really got into Le Guin's stuff, but recognise the influence she's had. Sad to see her go.

 

[Carol Rose]

So sad.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

A sad loss. She stayed true to herself and her principles—a fine example to us all.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

And we were just discussing her the other day. RIP.

 

[Rich.]

Yep, it just goes to show how relevant she was -- how relevant her work still is! I'm sure her legacy will persist for a long time to come.

 

[Lex Black]

*Moment of silence*

 

[Quillwitch]

Yep, it just goes to show how relevant she was -- how relevant her work still is! I'm sure her legacy will persist for a long time to come.

Absolutely, as Robinn mentions, not everyone "got into her" but her legacy is so great that we still see her fingerprints on many books that came after hers. I would think even HP was influenced by her Earthsea Chronicles.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Last year, I read Ursula Le Guin's Late in the Day, which contains this poem—a quiet contemplation of death:

Sorrowsong

Come away with me my sorrow
come away with me
where the road grows narrow
westward to the sea

where the waters darken
slow as evening falls
where no winds waken
and no voice calls

 

[Paul Whybrow]

This tribute to Ursula Le Guin, by Chuck Wendig on his Terrible Minds website, is worth a read. I like what she advises about POV, writing for an imaginary audience and defining success:

Ursula K. Le Guin On Writing: “Alas, There Are No Recipes”

 

[Rich.]

A good read that. There are few people I count as heroes, but she is definitely one of them. I agree, Paul, with the joy of her advice on POV, etc. I also liked this bit:

The only way anybody ever learns to write well is by trying to write well. This usually begins by reading good writing by other people, and writing very badly by yourself, for a long time.

I'm just thinking, I called her a hero of mine. Perhaps I should have called her a heroine. Hero/heroine, how do we use these words these days?

Maybe I'll call her my heroin, addictive as she is. I'd like to think that would have made her smile [wryly].