Though Ursula K Le Guin is undoubtedly one of my favorite writers of all time, this is only the second collection of hers I've read, which actually isn't super unusual, since I rarely read collections.But this is a very atypical work for Le Guin, as it's essentially realism. It has the feel of a late 19th century writer, especially people like Turgenev. The only fantastic element to the collection is that these stories take place in an imaginary country.It actually makes me understand why she ended up translating Kalpa Imperial by Angelica Gorodischer, which is also about things happening in an imaginary country. Odd that these books were written around the same time, too.Anyrate, this isn't my favorite of Le Guin but these stories are so beautiful and subtle that I imagine I'll carry some of them with me a long time. They're almost exclusively about normal people living in central europe. People who work in factories, who live small lives in their towns and cities. It's an interesting look at the grit and grime of poverty in the industrial world, though there are also stories that take place in the distant past. Those were actually my favorite, I think, and one of them is the most brutal and shocking stories I've read in a long time.I liked this collection a lot but I likely won't read the novel that's also set in this country. Le Guin's prose is so gorgeous here, maybe the best I've read by her, but I prefer to see her playing with new worlds. These are great and could easily stand against any other realist story collection, but those just aren't my thing so much right now.
Wellll....I chose to do a presentation on this collection of short stories because I was under the impression that Le Guin wrote science fiction/fantasy (she did write my favorite short story ever, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"). Even though there are elements of an alternative reality here, I am not convinced that Le Guin has total control of what she's going for. What is she going for? Sure, a few of these stories could be termed "Fables," and yes I see the parallels of war in this world with war in ours, but mostly what I see are modernist love stories that make me want to claw my brain out. (Be forewarned, I am of the camp that frowns upon modernist writing and says, "but nothing HAPPENED." Yes, I like plots.) I guess there's some expressionism going on here too. Anyway, in short, I have two more stories to read in this collection and I really do not want to finish it. Still willing to give her other work a shot, though, if anyone has any recommendations.
What do You think about Orsinian Tales (2004)?
Just finished reading Le Guin's Orsinian Tales. I'm not sure what I think of it, actually. The stories in themselves are well written, interesting -- the first few, in my opinion, are better than the last few. Or maybe that's the warm day and my lack of focus speaking. Either way, I really liked Conversations at Night, one of the earlier ones. It's an interesting idea -- a series of stories about an imaginary European country. I think she also has a novel based on the country, which might've been more satisfying to me. Orsinian Tales is just glimpses of a world.
—Nikki
I just reread this and had to change my assessment. Each of the stories, set in the fantasy country of Orsinia, which is planted firmly in the history of our real world, was exceptional, brilliant, tender, personal, and delightful. My main complaint is that I wanted to know more about all the people and their stories. I wanted whole novels about every single one of the stories. Nevertheless, despite their too-short nature, each was long enough to give me enough information that I came to care about the characters and feel empathy for them. UKL is a marvelous writer. I'm so glad I reread this collection.
—Tatiana
Ursula K. Le Guin is one of our greatest living writers. My interest in sci-fi has decreased as I've gotten older, as most of it is just poorly written or hackneyed. Le Guin doesn't have that problem at all:a her prose is beautifully crisp, and her stories are always thought-provoking. This collection of short stories is somewhat atypical of Le Guin, as it is not really fantasy or science fiction, though it takes place in the fictional country of Orsinia. However, Le Guin spins some truly intriguing tales here, most of the stories tackling the issue of the individual versus society. It's dark at times, but the human spirit always remains unconquerable, and Le Guin's message is ultimately one of hope for the possibility of happiness, even in the face of the mundane or oppressive.
—Adam R.
