The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition

‘I asked if these two psychopaths could not be cured. “Cured?” Goss said. “Would you cure a singer of his voice?”’ (p66) While I always enjoy high quality science fiction, I read this book largely as a matter of cultural literacy. Folks say this is an important, historic work. My experience validates that it is – and that’s an understatement. For some reason, though, I expected that I’d have to fight the book – wrestle with it – to make sense of a tangled, impenetrable, quirky work of art. That was not the case. Le Guin’s calm, penetrating prose, her sharp, understated commentary, and the compelling story made this book a pleasure to read. When it hit the streets in 1969 it was both ahead of its time and sensationally timely. Now, nearly sixty years later, it’s clear this book is also timeless. Of course her treatment of unconventional sexual physiology, together with its social and psychological implications, is arguably this novel’s most famous feature. And yes -- all that is as fascinating and weighty as I knew it would be. But Le Guin casts a much wider net; she left me breathless with the depth and range of her insights on just about every aspect of social norms and what it means to be human. Assuming you have the fiftieth anniversary edition, be sure to read the intro by David (“Cloud Atlas”) Mitchell, and the author’s own opening note. They are both spectacular. Once you’ve read the novel itself, I also suggest that you take the time to read Charlie Jane Anders’ afterward. Together, the three commentaries will contribute substantially toward your understanding and appreciation of this extraordinary novel. If this book moves you, check out Mary Doria Russell’s “The Sparrow”, and its sequel, “Children of God”.

On Gethen, human envoy Genly Ai has been sent to convince the planet’s leaders to join the Ekumen, a loose confederation of planets who do not rule one another, but who cooperate in matters of interest to all Ekumen members. Barriers to Ai’s success include Gethenian pride, antipathy and discord between that world’s rival nation-states, and Ai’s lack of understanding in a global culture fueled by the ambisexual nature of Gethenians. The only native who believes the Ekumen can save Gethen is Estraven, a native whom Ai regards with suspicion. But when politics casts Estraven in a criminal light, Ai is dragged into a fierce powerplay and finds himself imprisoned, beaten, and left for dead. Only by abandoning his prejudice—and learning to trust the Otherness of his savior—can he survive his ordeal. The Left Hand of Darkness was originally published in 1969 and is the title that established Le Guin as a science fiction writer. It’s incredibly intricate, an excellent example of worldbuilding. Politics and governance are well-represented, if convoluted, which makes it all the more believable. The climate on Gethen is wintry; inhabitants and their lifestyles reflect this in every detail. But what captivated me most was the nature of Gethenian sexuality. On Gethen, gender is irrelevant. Though Ai uses predominantly masculine pronouns throughout the narrative, native humanoids on Gethen are not born male or female. They are neither—until they enter “kemmer,” a regular period of increased hormonal activity in which Gethenians are driven to find a partner who is also in kemmer, for sex and procreation. Hormone levels determine which partner becomes the inseminator and which becomes the recipient. If the recipient becomes pregnant, they remain “female” throughout the gestation period, after which they return to normal. This cycle drives the entire culture, coloring every aspect of Gethenian society. Though this isn’t the only detail to recommend the book, it’s definitely key to the story. At the time it was written, Gethenian sexuality drew a lot of attention among readers and reviewers; but it’s still relevant today. While some have criticized Le Guin for homophobia, and while Le Guin later expressed regret that she’d portrayed Gethenian norms as heterosexual, the fact remains that the story explores the nature of gender in our own society, as well as on Gethen. For my own part, I found the development of friendship and love between characters so widely diverse much more meaningful than when or how or even whether copulation occurred. In any event, The Left Hand of Darkness is a classic in science fiction literature, a multi-layered story that explores not only cultural divides but sociological ones as well as deep, philosophical quandaries, a must-read for all sci-fi fans. Groundbreaking and evocative, I found myself rooting for both Ai and Estraven, and was sorry to turn the last page. Only one of multiple novels set in the Hainish series, LHoD can be read as a standalone tale. One caveat: Le Guin runs heavy on detail and subtlety. It isn’t exactly an easy read. If that bothers you, dear reader, push through. I promise the payoff is worth it.

My introduction to Ursula K. Le Guin was in a college lit class where “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” was on the syllabus. That short story touched me profoundly and I’ve read it many times through the years. Despite that, I’ve never dove further into her œuvre simply because I’m not a sci-fi fan and that was her lane. But I read an article this year that referenced her 1969 novel The Left Hand of Darkness and it intrigued me, especially the fact that it’s become an “early seminal text” for the LGBT community. So glad I put aside my hesitation for science fiction and read this book. Le Guin’s writing is so incredibly descriptive. She places the reader perfectly on the harsh planet of Gethen where she spins quite the tale. The plot involves Genly Ai, an envoy from a group of other planets who has visited Gethen in hopes of convincing the leaders on that planet to join his federation (The Ekumen). Ai is assisted in his quest by Therem Harth rem ir Estraven (side note, one of the things I dislike about sci-fi is all the crazy names) who is an advisor to King Argaven before a spectacular fall from grace. The reason this book is so revered among the LGBT community is a quirk of the people on Gethen. They are nonbinary most of the time, except for a few days ever month when their sexual organs emerge and they get hot and horny for some action. This is called “kemmering” and the best part is, you never know from one month to the next if you’ll be a male or female in your next kemmer. Indeed when King Argaven gets pregnant it throws the whole idea of sexual identity and gender roles out the window. At the heart of this book is the relationship between Ai and Estraven. It evolves slowly, from mistrust to respect to friendship and even includes a bit of sexual tension when Estraven kemmers while the two of them are in a tent (like the pregnant king, that’s another reminder that we’re not in Kansas anymore). I loved this book. It forced me to reconsider things like patriotism and sexuality and societal norms. But it was also a gripping novel with a sad yet satisfying ending. I may never be a sci-fi fan but I will dig deeper into Le Guin’s works. She’s two for two in my book.

Une amie m'a recommandé ce livre, et je ne regrette pas l'achat. Super bien écrit, personnages et univers très intéressants, et une intrigue bien menée... il y a une petite touche Star Trek (TOS/TNG) si vous aimez ça aussi. 10/10

Ursula Le Guin is the boss of science fiction. This and Dispossessed are my most prized science fiction books of all time. She is the master and all else pale. A good book has a great story line that is built as you read and uses the Greek heroic forms, but a great book teaches us things and leaves us a different person because of our experience of reading. The Left hand of Darkness is not a new book and others have written in a similar vein - see Glory Seasons from David Brin so if you have read them LHOD doesn't have the same impact but when it first came out it was startling. I have been reading the LHOD for over 20 years and go back to it every few years. It does take a while to build so you have to get to page 80 before things become clear - there is a lot of world building to get through... It is not relevant to offer a synopsis as the machinations are relatively unimportant - a bit like James Cameron's Avatar Pretend blue guy meets real blue woman and after a few bad patches becomes good friend - it is the alien people in an alien world that asks you to suspend your assumptions and learn a new way of dealing with the world. This is a book that gets you to explore who you are. It is a story write not so much with words but emotions, values and beliefs. Yes it is a work of mastery.

This is a first contact novel where the aliens are a long-abandoned subspecies of genetically modified humans who are biologically gender fluid. It's about trying to overcome our own prejudices about gender and sex and coming to understand the other. The envoy, or the representative of the interplanetary Ekumen is trying to open relations with the planet Gethen, but this is not the typical white man's burden story. In fact the protagonist's skin is very dark and the empire is more about the exchange of goods and ideas than colonialism. Although the Ekumen are quite enlightened, the protagonist, Genly Ai, has many sexists and ethnocentric beliefs and views the people of Gethen as strangely as they view him. The first part of the novel has the kind of in-depth world building we have seen from authors such as Tolkien, but built with Le Guine's unique incite into what it means to be human. The second half focuses more on the two main characters and we get to appreciate their depth and growth while embarking on exciting and dangerous adventures.

I have been meaning to write about this book but its profoundness incapacitates me for words. This is my first of the author and although I struggled with the language initially but that is what makes the fine tapestry of this work of genius. The world building is simply phenomenal. Gethen is an Ice Age world rippled with its own complexities. Gethenians are androgynous people for most part of their life cycles and this is how author explores the question of what constitutes our personhood if the gender is stripped off. Le Guin has built this world with its unique fabrics of anthropology, spirituality, geography, politics and cultures. A Terran Native, an emissary from the Ekumen, called Genly Ai , is trying to build an alliance between Gethen and Ekumen. This alliance is for an inter-planetary trade of material and knowledge, for the greater good of the mankind. He has spent two years on this strange planet and gets embroiled in the Gethenian fabric as he pursues his objective. Gethen is a divided world in itself. The nations have their own political motives and issues to grapple with. Karhide, ruled by a Regent, believes in presence more than progressiveness. Orgota, on the other hand, which looks promising as a commensal, has its own deviance to tackle with. We get a glimpse of this divided Gethenian world through these two countries. In the midst of all this, a man stands with a towering passion for the betterment of mankind and that's Estravan. He is the only person that understands Genly's objective and is selflessly invested in it for it builds a prospect for the mankind at large. For Genly, Estravan becomes the person , he initially trusts the least. It takes him a lot of time to undo himself. Le Guin has brilliantly captured this shared humanity between Genly and Estravan, both an exile in their own ways, invested for the greater good of the world. The chapters on their escape from the Orgota farm, as they make their ways through the treacherous terrains of glacier, volcano weather and the upheavals of a shared humanity have been richly narrated. She has illustrated the legends and the myths that design the cultural fabric of Gethen, shape the Gethenian's personhood. In the same measure, she has marvellously built upon the spiritual cultures of Handarrata and Yomeshta in a way that they meet the body politic. The book reinscribes patriotism and poses pertinent questions as to how a landmass bound within a boundary defines one's love for it and how beyond that boundary, it becomes unlove and if at all, the love for a certain shape of a landmass is well intended. This book requires a meticulous cinematic adaptation but whoever takes up this job, I hope they are in-depth enough with its multifacetedness.

Ursula K LeGuin is one of the greatest among the likes of Philip K Dick, Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asymov... I remember seeing the film Avatar and how much it reminded me of "The Word for World is Forest", another touching work from LeGuin. With "The Left Hand of Darkness" LeGuin opens our hearts and minds about pressing themes like gender, love, loyalty. Great works stay with us much longer after the last page. This one will stay with me forever.