I love these thoughts. I greatly enjoyed The Dispossessed, and part of what I liked so much about it is that the "utopia" was not presented as a hollow childish ideal at all, but rather a complicated culture with genuine political, social, and existential issues.
I adore The Dispossessed for so many reasons, even as a very far right guy who thinks that LeGuin, though she cheats a bit to get her communist utopia to work, she doesn't actually make it a true utopia. I do somethings get cross with LeGuin as in The Telling where she takes what feels like a dishonest shot at religion in transposing the outrage of cultural destruction from atheist communist China's cultural destruction of local religions onto a made up monotheist bogeyman. But generally she plays very fair, showing the feet of clay of her heros like Shevek and the complexity of her villains.
Monotheism is a bogeyman in The Telling? I wouldn’t say so! Communist governments do wipe out local religions, trying to supplant them with a religion of the state (worship of party ideology). But monotheistic, evangelistic religions do this too, cf. the whole colonization of the Americas, particularly the destruction wrought by the conquistadors. It seemed to me that Le Guin was drawing an analogy between the two, not just letting one off the hook and scapegoating the other.
Well, I would say that as an evangelical monotheist, I'm more sympathetic to them, naturally. And I don't see LeGuin as drawing a parallel, but rather twisting the historical inspiration for her story to fit her atheistic preferences.
Just listened to Jennifer Burns compared and contrasted Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman. I decided to reread Dispossessed and Goddess of the Market side by side. Could be an interesting comparison between Le Guin and Ayn Rand.
Read it a few years ago and hopefully I can join you guys in the re-read, although time is at a premium what with writing my own substack and holding down a "day job" 8=)
The Dispossessed is a fantastic book, and Le Guin is one of my favorite authors. I wrote my philosophy final on "The Dispossessed." Even though I would disagree quite strongly with her politics and beliefs, I still enjoy her books and engaging with her ideas
My first book of 2025 was Always Coming Home, which also happened to be my first Le Guin novel. I absolutely adored it. I was struck by how effortlessly real everything felt, from the world to the characters to her voice as an author. I read it for a local book club and it made for wonderful discussion material. Super excited to join the read along next month!
The only Le Guin novel I've read before is Left Hand of Darkness, which I enjoyed but wasn't blown away by. I've read "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas", but didn't like it.
I don't have a physical copy of The Dispossessed yet, but I started listening to the audiobook a few days ago. I'm only in the first chapter, but the mood so far is really bleak. This may be partly the readers voice, or maybe I'm just feeling it more because it's an audiobook, and I'm not used to audiobooks.
Is this how it's going to be for the rest of the book? I've been in a very dark mood lately, and I'm not sure I can continue. (I certainly could not read any decidedly dystopian fiction right now, but I've never heard The Dispossessed described that way.)
I think personal taste comes in. On paper I should love Le Guin. I love sci-fi, classic literature, am an anarchist, love philosophy etc. But I can't get into her books. I was bored to tears reading the dispossessed and after several tries over the past two years I gave up and DNF that book. I'm partial to her ideas but the execution just bores me and I find her writing style clunky. Also as I get older I'm starting to dislike more and more made-up words and technobabble in sci-fi. That's partly why I didn't really like anathem, it had a glossary I had to constantly flip back and forth to because there are so many made up words. So I do like her thought but so far haven't liked her novels. Could definitely be a personal defect in me though.
I love these thoughts. I greatly enjoyed The Dispossessed, and part of what I liked so much about it is that the "utopia" was not presented as a hollow childish ideal at all, but rather a complicated culture with genuine political, social, and existential issues.
every edition seems to have a cool cover!
I'm going to read in Polish, let's see if there's anything I miss because it's been lost in translation.
I’ve yet to do a read-along with you, but I might do this one! It’s just the kind of book I’ve always wanted to read with others.
I adore The Dispossessed for so many reasons, even as a very far right guy who thinks that LeGuin, though she cheats a bit to get her communist utopia to work, she doesn't actually make it a true utopia. I do somethings get cross with LeGuin as in The Telling where she takes what feels like a dishonest shot at religion in transposing the outrage of cultural destruction from atheist communist China's cultural destruction of local religions onto a made up monotheist bogeyman. But generally she plays very fair, showing the feet of clay of her heros like Shevek and the complexity of her villains.
Monotheism is a bogeyman in The Telling? I wouldn’t say so! Communist governments do wipe out local religions, trying to supplant them with a religion of the state (worship of party ideology). But monotheistic, evangelistic religions do this too, cf. the whole colonization of the Americas, particularly the destruction wrought by the conquistadors. It seemed to me that Le Guin was drawing an analogy between the two, not just letting one off the hook and scapegoating the other.
Well, I would say that as an evangelical monotheist, I'm more sympathetic to them, naturally. And I don't see LeGuin as drawing a parallel, but rather twisting the historical inspiration for her story to fit her atheistic preferences.
Just listened to Jennifer Burns compared and contrasted Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman. I decided to reread Dispossessed and Goddess of the Market side by side. Could be an interesting comparison between Le Guin and Ayn Rand.
One of my reading goals this year is to "join a book club". This counts for that, right...?! Looking forward to reading along with you all!
Count me in! Just put it in the Kindle.
Terrific article, Jared.
Read it a few years ago and hopefully I can join you guys in the re-read, although time is at a premium what with writing my own substack and holding down a "day job" 8=)
The Dispossessed is a fantastic book, and Le Guin is one of my favorite authors. I wrote my philosophy final on "The Dispossessed." Even though I would disagree quite strongly with her politics and beliefs, I still enjoy her books and engaging with her ideas
My first book of 2025 was Always Coming Home, which also happened to be my first Le Guin novel. I absolutely adored it. I was struck by how effortlessly real everything felt, from the world to the characters to her voice as an author. I read it for a local book club and it made for wonderful discussion material. Super excited to join the read along next month!
The only Le Guin novel I've read before is Left Hand of Darkness, which I enjoyed but wasn't blown away by. I've read "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas", but didn't like it.
I don't have a physical copy of The Dispossessed yet, but I started listening to the audiobook a few days ago. I'm only in the first chapter, but the mood so far is really bleak. This may be partly the readers voice, or maybe I'm just feeling it more because it's an audiobook, and I'm not used to audiobooks.
Is this how it's going to be for the rest of the book? I've been in a very dark mood lately, and I'm not sure I can continue. (I certainly could not read any decidedly dystopian fiction right now, but I've never heard The Dispossessed described that way.)
I wouldn't call it bleak, but it isn't the happiest novel. There are some very dark moments.
It certainly isn't dystopian.
It really may just be the reader's voice on the audiobook that's giving me that feeling. It's a voice that would be appropriate for 1984.
I think personal taste comes in. On paper I should love Le Guin. I love sci-fi, classic literature, am an anarchist, love philosophy etc. But I can't get into her books. I was bored to tears reading the dispossessed and after several tries over the past two years I gave up and DNF that book. I'm partial to her ideas but the execution just bores me and I find her writing style clunky. Also as I get older I'm starting to dislike more and more made-up words and technobabble in sci-fi. That's partly why I didn't really like anathem, it had a glossary I had to constantly flip back and forth to because there are so many made up words. So I do like her thought but so far haven't liked her novels. Could definitely be a personal defect in me though.
I love Le Guin's writing about writing. A well-thumbed copy of her book, Steering the Craft, should be on every writer's desk, I think.
Book ordered. Sounds fascinating!