The Telling
A novel of storytelling, politics, and religious conflict on Aka.
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In 2001, the novel received both the Endeavour Award for distinguished novels or collections and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.[1]
Making and release
The Telling was released in 2000, and it was the first full Hainish novel Le Guin had written since The Dispossessed in 1974.[2] The novel's protagonist, Sutty, is a lesbian, and her sexuality is an important aspect of her character.[2] Many of the maz, the keepers of the Telling, are also gay couples.[2] The novel has been noted as being as much about religion and politics as about storytelling.[3]
The Telling's practices are comparable to Taoist and Hindu philosophy and practices.[4] The state's suppression of the Telling mirrors how the Chinese government suppressed religious practices during that period.[4]
What the cited sources add
A 2022 review describes The Telling as "highly underrated" within Le Guin's body of work.[2] The same review notes that the novel feels different from other Hainish Cycle books.[2] The gay content in The Telling is described as subtle but not an afterthought, with a quiet romanticization of gay monogamy.[2] The review characterizes the novel as classic science fiction focused on discovering a new world rather than a thrilling story.[2]
Gerald Jonas, reviewing for The New York Times, called it "an anthropological puzzle story" but felt the main character comes across as "little more than a mouthpiece for the author's personal vision".[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "The Telling" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Endeavour Award History", Endeavour Awards; "2001 Award Winners & Nominees", Worlds Without End (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Sam Reviews The Telling by Ursula K Le Guin", The Lesbrary – Lesbian and Bi Book News and Reviews, July 23, 2022. facts only, no text reused. lesbrary.com
- Wikipedia, "The Telling" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Seed, David A Companion to Science Fiction (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture), (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2005), page 417.; Turtledove, Harry The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century, (New York, NY: Del Rey Books, 2005), page 388. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Telling" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "sffworld.com synopsis of The Telling" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Telling" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Science Fiction", The New York Times, October 1, 2000. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article The Telling (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Novels by Ursula K. Le Guin
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: The Telling (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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