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EwaWiśniewska
Iwouldneverhavegonebacktoreadingsciencefiction,andthenceto
writingit,ifithadn’tbeenforafriendofoursinPortlandin1960and1961
whohadasmallcollectionandlentmewhateverIglommedonto(The
LanguageoftheNight27).
LeGuinreadalotandshealwaysappreciatedlibraries.Apartfrom
myths,legends,andfairytales,yetanotherchildhoodinfluencewas
TaoismandtheoeuvreofLaoTse(alsoknownasLaoTzuorLoTsu)
(Bucknall4).AccordingtoReid,TaoTeChing,wasUrsula’sfather’s
favouritebook,whichshepointedinmanyinterviews(2).Thisbook
Gteachesanattitudeofnoninterferenceandofrefusaltobeinvolvedinthe
Confucianworldsofstatesmanship,bureaucraticcontrol,andobservance
ofrites”(Bucknall3).Bucknallgoesontostatethatlateroninherlife,
duetothisfascinationwithnon-violentactivities,LeGuinGtookpartin
non-violentpeacedemonstrationsinthesixtiesandworkedforEugene
McCarthyandGeorgeMcGovernintheirprimaries”(7).Ursula’sparents
clearlyhadaninfluenceonherfuturelikingsandliteraryinterests,which
isvisibleinthefactthatherfather’sfavouritebookisalsooneofthoseshe
highlyappreciated.
SourcesclaimthatLeGuinwroteherfirstshortstorywhenshewas
nineyearsold,whichisnotunusualforsuchachildasshewas.Whenshe
wasten,soonlyoneyearlater,LeGuinwroteherfirstsciencefiction
story,inwhichshefocusedontimetravel.Shedecidedtosubmititfor
publication,butreceivedanegativeanswer.Afterthatshechosenotto
seekpublicationofanyofherworks.Shereevaluatedthatdecisionnot
untilshewasnineteenyearsold(Rass69).Theauthorsaysofherself:
GItriedtopublishfromagenineteenon,ratherlackadaisicallyandtimidly.
Iwasurgedbymyfatherintopublishingsomeofmyearlypoetry;heacted
asmyagent”,adding:GIstartedoutwritingpoetry,thenIwroteshort
stories,thenIwrotenovels–that’sallpartofgrowth.Novelists,youknow,
don’tusuallystartuntilratherlate.Someofthemdidn’tstartwritinguntil
they’refortyorover.AndIhavealsolearnedsomething,thankGod!The
onlyexcuseforgettingolderisthatyoudokeeplearning”(LeGuinin
Broughton47).Assheexplains:
Theprocessofbecomingawriteristheprocessoflearningyourown
voice,andhowtospeakinyourlanguage,notsomebodyelse’s.Itwas
alonginmymid-to-latetwentiesthatIbegantogettheskilltotalkmyown
language(LeGuininBroughton58).
