The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction

I found this book in my library catalog.  It’s a 1989 edition of and 1979 publication that first collected Le Guin’s essays, talks, and non-fiction works about Science Fiction and Fantasy.  The book is now out of print, and I understand why.  The introductions to Le Guin’s first five novels are all available in their most recent printings, and Le Guin updated those introductions in 2012, I believe.  The essays that cannot be found today are either tied to the specific state of Science Fiction in the ‘70s and ‘80s, or take positions that Le Guin has further refined and stated better at some point in the 21^st century, or both.

In other words, what we have here is hardly necessary reading, even for a general fan of Le Guin’s thoughts and writing.  That said, it is a wonderful and interesting read, both for the essays themselves, which are as insightful, critical, and humorous as Le Guin’s writing always is, and for the look at Le Guin at this other time period.

In the 1970s, Le Guin was in her 40s and at what she must have thought were the heights of her creative and cultural abilities.  She could not have known then that she would only continue to grown in her power, skill, and perspective.  There is a lot of youth and vigor in these essays, which are a joy to encounter, and I loved getting to see this younger version of her critical self.  She has all the wit and fire that she will possess throughout her career, but there is something of the hot shot in her writing, like she’s spoiling for a fight, confident in her ability to take all on comers, but with some nervous energy.  Over the years, this tone will mellow, never losing the certainty, but no longer concerned about any return punches, and a complete readiness to be wrong if she is proven so.  The gloves are laid down as the opinions stand for themselves.

Susan Wood selected and ordered the essays.  She also writes short introductions for each of the five sections she creates, and headnotes that pull quotes from essays and talks that are not included in the collection.  This was clearly the work of someone who loved and admired Le Guin’s writing, and she did a wonderful job.

If you are a fan of Le Guin’s writing on writing, and you want to see some early works of hers, this is a wonderful collection.  I hope your library has a copy, because they are rather expensive on ebay.  Too expensive for me to add to my collection for the mere sake of collecting.