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The Dispossessed
Paperback
Series: Hainish Cycle
Science FictionGeneral FictionLiterary Fiction
Publisher Price: $17.99
ISBN13: 9780060512750
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: Aug 19 2003
Pages: 400
Weight: 0.64
Height: 0.88 Width: 5.34 Depth: 8.16
Language: English
"Two hundred years after a capitalist society (analogous to our own) fended off an anarchist revolution by giving the revolutionaries the resource-rich but marginally habitable moon to live on, the two planets have barely communicated, apart from highly regulated trade of goods. This is the story of a child of that moon who grows up to be a brilliant phyisicist, and in so doing, discovers that the philosophical stance of anarchism on which this utopia was founded does not eliminate the very human problem of ego. He dares to contact the home planet in order to forward his work, and ultimately gets to see what his people left behind to build this new home. For anyone interested in alternative forms of social organization, this book is essential reading. For any lover of beautifually written fiction, of exploration of the human heart, this book is a delight. If you forced me to name a favorite book, this might be it. If you asked me to name a favorite author (you don't need to force me on this one), Le Guin would be it." --MJ
One of The Atlantic's Great American Novels
One of the greats. . . . Not just a science fiction writer; a literary icon. --Stephen King
Engrossing . . . Ursula Le Guin is more than just a writer of adult fantasy and science fiction . . . she is a philosopher; an explorer in the landscapes of the mind. -- Cincinnati Enquirer
Ursula K. Le Guin's Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award-winning classic, a profound and thoughtful tale of anarchism and capitalism, individualism and collectivism, and one ambitious man's quest to bridge the ideological chasm separating two worlds.
The Dispossessed is the spellbinding story of anarchist Shevek, the galactically famous scientist, who single-handedly attempts to reunite two planets cut off from each other by centuries of distrust.
Anarres, Shevek's homeland, is a bleak moon settled by an anarchic utopian civilization, where there is no government, and everyone, at least nominally, is a revolutionary. It has long been isolated from other worlds, including its mother planet, Urras--defined by warring nations, great poverty, and immense wealth. Now Shevek, a brilliant physicist, is determined to unify the two civilizations. In the face of great hostility, outright threats, and the pain of separation from his family, he makes an unprecedented trip to Urras. Greater than any concern for his own wellbeing is the belief that the walls of hatred, distrust, and philosophic division between his planet and the rest of the civilized universe must be torn down. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and explore differences in customs and cultures, determined to tear down the walls of hatred that have kept them apart.
To visit Urras--to learn, to teach, to share--will require great sacrifice and risks, which Shevek willingly accepts. Almost immediately upon his arrival, he finds not the egotistical philistines he expected, but an intelligent, complex people who warmly welcome him. But soon the ambitious scientist and his gift is seen as a threat, and in the profound conflict that ensues, he must reexamine his beliefs even as he ignites the fires of change.
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