Words Are My Matter. Writings on Life and Books

A collection of essays on life and literature, from one of the most iconic authors and astute critics in contemporary letters. Words Are My Matter is essential reading: a collection of talks, essays, and criticism by Ursula K. Le Guin, a literary legend and unparalleled voice of our social conscience. Here she investigates the depth and breadth of contemporary fiction-including landmark discussions of science fiction and fantasy-and, through the lens of literature, gives us a way of exploring the world around us.
In "Freedom, " Le Guin notes: "Hard times are coming, when we'll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now . to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope. We'll need writers who can remember freedom-poets, visionaries-realists of a larger reality."Le Guin was one of those authors and in Words Are My Matter she gives us just that: a collection of sharp social commentary and a vision of a better reality, fueled by the power and might and hope of language and literature.
Inside this indispensable collection of literary essays, Le Guin explores: Writing Craft: Le Guin's personal reflections on her process, from inventing languages to learning from authors like Virginia Woolf. Literary Criticism: Incisive book reviews and introductions to the works of authors like Philip K. Dick, Stanislaw Lem, and José Saramago. The Role of the Imagination: A passionate defense of imaginative fiction and why we need "realists of a larger reality" now more than ever.
Feminist Perspectives: Sharp analysis of gender in literature, the marginalization of women's writing, and what it means to write as a woman.