Rick Simonson

Ursula K. Le Guin, True Original
April 30, 2008

A busy author night in Seattle: Alice Hoffman, Howard Fineman, and Jen Sorensen were in town doing book tour appearances, Pico Iyer was holding forth before over two thousand in Seattle Arts & Lectures' season finale, some university lectures with booksales involved were happening. At Elliott Bay, we first welcomed debut novelist V.V. Ganeshnanthan with her intricate, strong tale set in the U.S., Canada, and Sri Lanka: Love Marriage (Random House). It was good and right as such debut visits go - some in attendance the author knows, but then others (to the author's surprise) that aren't known. Books are definitely sold, but you also know the real impact of the reading will come in time - the book going back to display or on shelves - signed copies, a 'recommended' note it might not otherwise have come by. Things will likely build from there. When there might be a second book - what's happened with this will help feed that.

This sequence eludes the track-'em-down spread-sheet mentality that wants sales/attendance figures of the moment. Most of what really happens with books going into peoples' hands does (sorry, back there ...).

Ms. Ganeshnanthan's visit was abbreviated - to her chagrin - leaving her friends, she was off for an early evening flight. Good media was lined up in the morning. One has a feeling she'll be back, that she has more good books in her.

Upon her departing we did some room shuffling, readying for the larger attendance anticipated - from past visits - for a subsequent reading by Ursula K. Le Guin for her new novel, Lavinia (Harcourt). Even with all the other activity in town, and knowledge about that Ursula would be reading the next night (tonight) at the University Bookstore, there was still a roomful crowd gathered.

In twenty-four years of presenting authors, I suspect Ursula Le Guin has read here more than anyone else - I can think of readings devoted to novels of many forms and genres and potential age ranges, essays, poetry, translations (Tao te Ching), a book on her Portland street, anthologies, you name it. The arrival of her with her husband Charles, a retired professor of Canadian history, is always a pleasure. This time they'd come by train from Portland. With them (hosting them) is their longtime friend, the notable writer (in her own right) Vonda N. McIntyre.

Ursula had already garnered Hugo, Nebula and other awards, almost beyond counting, when she first read, collaboratively, with musician Todd Barton, for the original edition of Always Coming Home, in 1985. I would leave it to someone else to really speak/write to what her body of work means, has meant.

To me, it's fascinating (and inspirational) enough, alone, to see her keep at things, persistently, insistently. Lavinia is a brilliant recasting of Virgil's Aeneid, done in a way that doesn't take issue with Virgil did 2,000 years ago, so much as it makes a large story even larger in spirit - and engaged imagination.

Introducing her, I spoke to her keeping imagination alive - vital in this droning, media-flat languaged time. She does it not only with the subjects of her books, but iin her language, in her clear willingness to work and walk along the precipice. That's where the universe can be seen - both what's out there and within. With grace, Ursula Le Guin does this. I spoke of her as an 'original' - both someone casting things fresh and new, and, at the same, harkening back to origins, reminding us what has preceded. Lavinia, alone, is great testament to that.

Her evening was begun with comments by Amy Wheeler, executive director of Hedgebrook, a nonprofit women writer's retreat on Whidbey Island (www.hedgebrook.org). Ursula had been a writer resident there. She also has always been aware of and supportive of those organizations and people, often unacknowledged, help real work get done in various invaluable ways. Hedgebrook is one of those places.

I underscored Amy Wheeler's comments by telling of a panel I'd once been on, maybe twelve or thirteen years ago - with Ursula, and with women representing Northwest organizations and presses devoted to women's writing. The panel subject was something along the lines of whether or not there was still a need for such groups. Hedgebrook, The Flight of the Mind writing workshop, Calyx, Eighth Mountain Press, and Seal Press (as then locally, independently owned) were part of the panel, along with Ursula and myself (don't ask how I got into this). Introducing Ursula last night, I mentioned that of these, only Hedgebrook and Calyx are really still with us, as they were then. What I didn't say was how Ursula focused her talk that day less on women per se, as on the need to keep alive and healthy any organizations that help foster real work against the forces of corporate colonizing. Said forces would/will appropriate what they want when they want for as long as it suits them (and their budgets), but will move right on when they deem the field is no longer worthy.

One thing overlooked was her terrific piece on reading and its "alleged decline," "Staying Awake" - from the February 2008 issue of Harper's. There again - in straightforward essay form, Ursula Le Guin works against the tide of consensus media musing about reading - challenging assumptions implicit and explicit. She does this without pretense, no being on any pedestal. She's understated, unpretentious, has a sense of humor, suffers no fawning praise, nor does she tend to suffer fools. You want to be this way when you're 78 - if you get to be 78.

I could go on. As many times as I've introduced her, I've found different (meaningful) things to say. Last night, I cited the tradition some Asian countries have of designating venerated cultural elders as 'Living Treasures.' Were we ever civilized enough to make such acknowledgements, Ursula K. Le Guin - here living, working, writing, and speaking among us - would certainly be such a treasure.

Posted by Rick Simonson on April 30, 2008 | Comments (1)