Editing Ursula K. Le Guin (section)

== Life ==
=== Childhood and education ===
[[File:Ishi.jpg|thumb|right|Ursula's father, [[Alfred Kroeber]], with [[Ishi]], the last of the [[Yahi]] people (1911)]]
Ursula Kroeber was born in [[Berkeley, California]], on October 21, 1929. Her father, [[Alfred L. Kroeber|Alfred Louis Kroeber]], was an [[anthropologist]] at the [[University of California, Berkeley]].{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=1}}<ref name="NYT obit">{{Cite news |last=Jonas |first=Gerald |date=January 23, 2018 |title=Ursula K. Le Guin, Acclaimed for Her Fantasy Fiction, Is Dead at 88 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/obituaries/ursula-k-le-guin-acclaimed-for-her-fantasy-fiction-is-dead-at-88.html |access-date=January 23, 2018 |archive-date=January 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123221310/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/obituaries/ursula-k-le-guin-acclaimed-for-her-fantasy-fiction-is-dead-at-88.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Le Guin's mother, [[Theodora Kroeber]] (born Theodora Covel Kracaw), had a graduate degree in psychology, but turned to writing in her 60s, developing a successful career as an author. Among her works was ''[[Ishi in Two Worlds]]'' (1961), a biographical volume about [[Ishi]], an [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous American]] who had been studied by Alfred Kroeber. Ishi was the last known member of the [[Yahi]] tribe after the rest of its members died or (mostly) were killed by white colonizers.{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=1}}{{sfn|Cummins|1990|p=2}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hallowell |first=A. Irving |date=1962 |title=Theodora Kroeber. Ishi in Two Worlds: A Biography of the Last Wild Indian in North America |journal=The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science |volume=340 |issue=1 |pages=164–165 |doi=10.1177/000271626234000162|s2cid=145429704 }}</ref>

Le Guin had three older brothers: [[Karl Kroeber|Karl]], who became a literary scholar, Theodore, and Clifton.<!--The name "Clifton" is taken from Theodora Kroeber's writing: "Clifford" is incorrectly used by Spivack.-->{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=2}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kroeber |first=Theodora |url=https://archive.org/details/alfredkroeberper00kroe_0 |title=Alfred Kroeber; a Personal Configuration |publisher=University of California Press |year=1970 |isbn=978-0-520-01598-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/alfredkroeberper00kroe_0/page/287 287] |author-link=Theodora Kroeber |url-access=registration}}</ref> The family had a large book collection, and the siblings all became interested in reading while they were young.{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=2}} The Kroeber family had a number of visitors, including well-known academics such as [[Robert Oppenheimer]]; Le Guin would later use Oppenheimer as the model for Shevek, the physicist protagonist of ''[[The Dispossessed]]''.{{sfn|Cummins|1990|p=2}}{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=2}} The family divided its time between a summer home in the [[Napa Valley]], and a house in Berkeley during the academic year.{{sfn|Cummins|1990|p=2}}

Le Guin's reading included science fiction and fantasy: she and her siblings frequently read issues of ''[[Thrilling Wonder Stories]]'' and ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]''. She was fond of myths and legends, particularly [[Norse mythology]], and of Native American legends that her father would narrate. Other authors she enjoyed were [[Lord Dunsany]] and [[Lewis Padgett]].{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=2}} Le Guin also developed an early interest in writing; she wrote a short story when she was nine, and submitted her first short story to ''Astounding Science Fiction'' when she was 11. The piece was rejected, and she did not submit anything else for another 10 years.{{sfn|White|1999|p=2}}{{sfn|Spivack|1984|pp=2–3}}<ref name="Vice Interview">{{Cite journal |last=Lafreniere |first=Steve |date=December 2008 |title=Ursula K. Le Guin |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/ursula-k-le-guin-440-v15n12/ |journal=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709072611/http://www.viceland.com/int/v15n12/htdocs/ursula-k-le-guin-440.php |archive-date=July 9, 2011 |url-status=live |access-date=April 22, 2010}}</ref>

Le Guin attended [[Berkeley High School (California)|Berkeley High School]].{{sfn|Cummins|1990|p=3}} She received her [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in Renaissance French and Italian literature from [[Radcliffe College]] of [[Harvard University]] in 1951, and graduated as a member of the [[Phi Beta Kappa]] honor society.{{sfn|Reid|1997|p=5}} As a child she had been interested in biology and poetry, but had been limited in her choice of career by her difficulties with mathematics.{{sfn|Reid|1997|p=5}} Le Guin undertook graduate studies at [[Columbia University]], and earned a [[Master of Arts]] degree in French in 1952.{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=3}} Soon after, she began working towards a [[PhD]], and won a [[Fulbright Program|Fulbright]] grant to continue her studies in France from 1953 to 1954.{{sfn|Cummins|1990|p=2}}{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=3}}

=== Married life and death ===
In 1953, while traveling to France aboard the ''[[RMS Queen Mary|Queen Mary]]'', Ursula met historian Charles Le Guin.{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=3}} They married in Paris in December 1953.{{sfn|Reid|1997|pp=5–7}} According to Le Guin, the marriage signaled the "end of the doctorate" for her.{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=3}} While her husband finished his doctorate at [[Emory University]] in Georgia, and later at the [[University of Idaho]], Le Guin taught French: first at [[Mercer University]], then at the University of Idaho after their move.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ursula K. Le Guin|website=The Future is Female|publisher = Library of America| url=http://womensf.loa.org/ursula-k-le-guin/ |access-date=January 7, 2024}}</ref> She also worked as a secretary until the birth of her daughter Elisabeth in 1957.{{sfn|Reid|1997|pp=5–7}} A second daughter, Caroline, was born in 1959.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Jeremy K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xgNcAgAAQBAJ |title=Ursula K. Le Guin |date=November 2013 |publisher=Infobase Learning |isbn=978-1-4381-4937-0 |chapter=Timeline}}</ref> Also in that year, Charles became an instructor in history at [[Portland State University]], and the couple moved to [[Portland, Oregon]], where their son Theodore was born in 1964.{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=3}} They would live in Portland for the rest of their lives,<ref name="Locus Obituary">{{Cite journal |date=January 23, 2018 |title=Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) |url=https://locusmag.com/2018/01/ursula-k-le-guin-1929-2018/ |journal=Locus Magazine |access-date=September 17, 2018 |archive-date=October 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001211525/http://locusmag.com/2018/01/ursula-k-le-guin-1929-2018/ |url-status=live }}</ref> although Le Guin received further Fulbright grants to travel to London in 1968 and 1975.{{sfn|Cummins|1990|p=2}}

Le Guin's writing career began in the late 1950s, but the time she spent caring for her children constrained her writing schedule.{{sfn|Spivack|1984|p=3}} She would continue writing and publishing for nearly 60 years.<ref name="Locus Obituary" /> She also worked as an editor, and taught undergraduate classes. She served on the editorial boards of the journals ''Paradoxa'' and ''[[Science Fiction Studies]]'', in addition to writing literary criticism herself.{{sfn|White|1999|pp=1–3}} She taught courses at [[Tulane University]], [[Bennington College]], and [[Stanford University]], among others.<ref name="Locus Obituary" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Walsh |first1=William |last2=Le Guin |first2=Ursula K. |date=Summer 1995 |title=I Am a Woman Writer; I Am a Western Writer: An Interview with Ursula Le Guin |journal=The Kenyon Review |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=192–205}}</ref>

Le Guin died on January 22, 2018, at her home in Portland, at the age of 88. Her son said that she had been in poor health for several months, and stated that it was likely she had had a [[heart attack]]. Private memorial services for her were held in Portland.<ref name="NYT obit" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Woodall |first=Bernie |date=January 23, 2018 |title=U.S. author Ursula K. Le Guin dies at 88: family |publisher=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-le-guin/u-s-author-ursula-k-le-guin-dies-at-88-family-idUSKBN1FD022 |access-date=September 16, 2018 |archive-date=September 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917071422/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-le-guin/u-s-author-ursula-k-le-guin-dies-at-88-family-idUSKBN1FD022 |url-status=live }}</ref> A public memorial service, which included speeches by the writers [[Margaret Atwood]], [[Molly Gloss]], and [[Walidah Imarisha]], was held in Portland on June 13, 2018.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=April 20, 2018 |title=Ursula K. Le Guin Tribute |url=https://locusmag.com/2018/04/ursula-k-le-guin-tribute/ |journal=Locus Magazine |access-date=September 16, 2018 |archive-date=September 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917071412/https://locusmag.com/2018/04/ursula-k-le-guin-tribute/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Baer |first=April |date=June 9, 2018 |title=Remembering Ursula K. Le Guin |publisher=Oregon Public Broadcasting |url=https://www.opb.org/radio/programs/stateofwonder/segment/ursula-le-guin-books-letters-poetry-people-color/ |access-date=September 16, 2018 |archive-date=September 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917071359/https://www.opb.org/radio/programs/stateofwonder/segment/ursula-le-guin-books-letters-poetry-people-color/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Views and advocacy ===
{{Further|Authors Guild, Inc. v. Google, Inc.}}
{{quote box
 | quote   = I think hard times are coming when we will be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now and can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies. We will need writers who can remember freedom. Poets, visionaries{{snd}}the realists of a larger reality.
 | source  = —Ursula K. Le Guin<ref name="PMM" />
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Le Guin refused a [[Nebula Award for Best Novelette|Nebula Award]] for her story "[[The Diary of the Rose]]" in 1977, in protest at the [[Science Fiction Writers of America]]'s revocation of [[Stanisław Lem]]'s membership. Le Guin attributed the revocation to Lem's criticism of American science fiction and willingness to live in the [[Eastern Bloc]], and said she felt reluctant to receive an award "for a story about political intolerance from a group that had just displayed political intolerance".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Le Guin |first=Ursula |date=December 6, 2017 |title=The Literary Prize for the Refusal of Literary Prizes |url=https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/12/06/literary-prize-refusal-literary-prizes/ |access-date=December 25, 2018 |website=[[The Paris Review]] |archive-date=January 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121094400/https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/12/06/literary-prize-refusal-literary-prizes/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Dugdale 2018">{{Cite news |last=Dugdale |first=John |date=May 21, 2016 |title=How to turn down a prestigious literary prize – a winner's guide to etiquette |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/21/how-turn-down-prestigious-literary-prize-winners-guide-etiquette |access-date=December 25, 2018 |archive-date=December 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225175448/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/21/how-turn-down-prestigious-literary-prize-winners-guide-etiquette |url-status=live }}</ref>

Le Guin once said she was "raised as [[Irreligion|irreligious]] as a jackrabbit". She expressed a deep interest in [[Taoism]] and [[Buddhism]], saying that Taoism gave her a "handle on how to look at life" during her adolescent years.<ref name="Paris Review">{{Cite journal |last=Wray |first=John |date=Fall 2013 |title=Interviews: Ursula K. Le Guin, The Art of Fiction No. 221 |url=http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6253/the-art-of-fiction-no-221-ursula-k-le-guin |url-status=live |journal=[[The Paris Review]] |issue=206 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111161200/http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6253/the-art-of-fiction-no-221-ursula-k-le-guin |archive-date=November 11, 2014 |access-date=November 11, 2014}}</ref> In 1997, she published a translation of the ''[[Tao Te Ching]].''<ref name="Paris Review" />{{sfn|Bernardo|Murphy|2006|p=170}}

In December 2009, Le Guin resigned from the [[Authors Guild]] in protest over its endorsement of [[Google Books|Google's book digitization project]]. "You decided to deal with the devil", she wrote in her resignation letter. "There are principles involved, above all the whole concept of [[copyright]]; and these you have seen fit to abandon to a corporation, on their terms, without a struggle."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=December 24, 2009 |title=Le Guin accuses Authors Guild of 'deal with the devil' |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/dec/24/le-guin-authors-guild-deal |url-status=live |access-date=May 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508063509/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/dec/24/le-guin-authors-guild-deal |archive-date=May 8, 2014 |quote=Ursula K Le Guin has resigned from the writers' organisation in protest at settlement with Google over digitisation.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Le Guin |first=Ursula K. |date=December 18, 2009 |title=My letter of resignation from the Authors Guild |url=http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Note-AGResignation.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111175604/http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Note-AGResignation.html |archive-date=January 11, 2012 |access-date=January 10, 2012}}</ref> In a speech at the 2014 [[National Book Award]]s, Le Guin criticized [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] and the control it exerted over the publishing industry, specifically referencing Amazon's treatment of the [[Hachette Book Group]] during a [[Amazon.com controversies#Removal of competitors' products|dispute over ebook publication]]. Her speech received widespread media attention within and outside the United States, and was broadcast twice by [[National Public Radio]].<ref name="PMM">{{Cite magazine |last=DeNies |first=Ramona |date=November 20, 2014 |title=Ursula K. Le Guin Burns Down the National Book Awards |url=http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/arts-and-entertainment/culturephile-portland-arts/articles/ursula-k-le-guin-rocks-the-national-book-awards-november-2014 |magazine=Portland Monthly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207051932/http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/arts-and-entertainment/culturephile-portland-arts/articles/ursula-k-le-guin-rocks-the-national-book-awards-november-2014 |archive-date=December 7, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bausells |first=Marta |date=June 3, 2015 |title=Ursula K Le Guin launches broadside on Amazon's 'sell it fast, sell it cheap' policy |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/03/ursula-k-le-guin-amazon-bs-machine |access-date=December 22, 2018 |archive-date=April 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419045425/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/03/ursula-k-le-guin-amazon-bs-machine |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Mark |date=July 25, 2014 |title=Writers unite in campaign against 'thuggish' Amazon |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/25/writers-campaign-amazon-ebook-dispute-us-hachette |access-date=December 22, 2018 |archive-date=December 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181222221433/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/25/writers-campaign-amazon-ebook-dispute-us-hachette |url-status=live }}</ref>