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UrsulaK.LeGuin’sprivatelifeandprofessionalcareer
19
TheKroeberfamilylivedinBerkeleyduetoAlfred’spost,butthey
wouldspendtheirentiresummersintheNapaValley,onaformervineyard
theyhadboughtin1930(DeBoltBiography15).Beingclosetonature
andfarawayfromthecitynodoubthadahugeinfluenceonyoungUrsula
andherbrothers.Shewrites:GIwasalittlekid,youngestofthefamily.We
alwayswentuptotheNapaValleyinJuneassoonasschoolwasout.My
parentshadboughtaforty-acreranchtherefortwothousanddollars”(The
WaveintheMind14).WaynewritesthatGUnlikemanychildrenofher
age,LeGuinlearnedthattheNativeAmericanrelationshipbetween
peopleandplacecreatedaperspectivetowardcommunitywhichnon-
nativeswouldconsiderdatedornolongerfeasible”(72).Waynealso
claimsthatduetoherconstantcontactwithGJuanDolores,herPapago
uncle,andRobertSpott,aYurok”,LeGuinGwassaturatedwitha
traditionalnativeregardforplace,aregardwhichbearslittleresemblance
toatechnologically,progress-orientedapproachtoNature”(72).There,
listeningtonumerousstoriesintheNapaValley,LeGuinlearnedto
appreciatetherichnessofthefloraandfauna.
WaynepointsoutthataccordingtoAmericanIndians,Gtimemovesin
cycles,incirclesandismeasuredbyseasonsandtheappropriatesongs,
stories,andcelebrations.Timeistiedtoplace,tothecosmos,andtolives.
Itremainscentraltoexistencenotaspastorfuture,butaspresent”(76).
Theideaofthegreatpowerhiddeninthenamesofpeopleandobjects,
presentinmanyofLeGuin’sworks,isalsoinspiredbythebeliefsof
NativeAmericans.WaynewritesthatforAmerica’snativepeoplesGThere
isnoseparation;nogapexistsbetweenthenamingandthenamed.Further,
thewordsexistwithinthebreath(life)ofthepersonspeakingthem,thus
becomingactsoflifeastheyarebornonthebreathoflife;theycarrya
sacredandspiritualmessageandreflectthespiritualityofthespeaker”
(75).IntheKroebers’homenatureandhumanlifewerealwayshighly
respected.Duetoherfather’sinterestsandwork,Ursulalearnedtolive
closetonatureandtovalueNativeAmericanlegendsandstories.Manyof
herstoriesarefilledwithideasincorporatedfromAmericanIndian
mythology.
20Career
In1951UrsulagraduatedfromRadcliffeCollegewithaB.A.andonly
oneyearlatershereceivedanM.A.fromColumbiaUniversity,whereshe
studiedRomancelanguages.Between1953and1954shelivedinParison
aFulbrightscholarship,whereshemetherfuturehusband,CharlesLe
