Ursula K. LeGuin

Ursula Kroeber was born in 1929 in California. She writes novels, children's books and short stories. Most of her books are on fantasy and science fiction. She dives into an imaginary world of alternate politics, gender, religion, sexuality, and ethnography. Ursula used sociology, anthropology, and psychology to write her "soft science fiction." She does not like this classification feeling that it is sexist. Throughout her books she brings up anarchism and environmentalism to bring her messages to light.

Born to an anthropologist and a writer, Ursula and her three older brothers were exposed to reading at a young age. Her father, The encouraging environment of her upbringing helped to build her career as a writer. Alfred Louis Kroeber, her father, became the director of the University of California Museum of Anthropology, and her mother, Theodora Kracaw, wrote the best seller, Ishi in two Worlds, about a Native American who was the acclaimed 'last wild Indian.' Being surrounded by the study and stories of Ishi and the Native Americans, prompted Ursula's stories of cultural interactions. At the age of nine she wrote her first science fiction story and had it published in the magazine, Astounding Science Fiction when she was eleven.

During the school year the family lived in Berkeley and their summers in Napa Valley. Although she found math tough, Ursula liked biology and poetry. She received her B. A. in Renaissance French and Italian literature in 1951 at Radcliffe. She also earned her M. A. in the same subjects from Columbia University in 1952. She was the recipient of the Fulbright grant and studied in France from 1953 to 1954.

While in France, Ursula met her husband, Charles Le Guin. She married the historian in 1953, and they are still married. They had three children. Ursula dropped her doctoral studies and the couple moved to Atlanta, Georgia where Charles obtained his Ph. D. at the Emory University. In 1959 the family moved to Portland, Oregon where they still are. Charles is the Professor Emeritus of History at Portland State University and Ursula continued writing while raising their children.

In the ten years between 1951 and 1961 Ursula wrote five novels. All five were rejected by publisher. She continued writing fantasy and science fiction stories that were published in such magazines as Amazing Stories and Fantastic Stories of Imagination.

"The World of Unbinding" was published in 1964 and was the beginning of her Earthsea fantasy series. In 1970 she won the Hugo and the Nebula awards for her book, "The Left Hand of Darkness". Her next book, "The Dispossessed" also won the Hugo and Nebula, which made her the first writer to win both awards for the same two books.

In 1979 Ursula began to work with film, and contributed to "The Lathe of Heaven". A PBS film based on her novel of the same name. She also worked on "Rigel 9", with David Bedford. Ursula, Ken Kesey, Brian Booth, and William Stafford started the Literary Arts in Portland in 1984. She follows Taoism and leans towards Anarchism.