Ursula K. Le Guin is one of the most revered science fiction writers of all time. Her groundbreaking science-fiction novel The Dispossessed, written against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, speaks to historically specific forms of geopolitical violence and societal malaise. However, it continues to resonate today.
As I write, less than 200 metres away, pro-Palestinian students are camped out on the University of Sydney’s lawns, protesting the ongoing war in Gaza. These protests are being compared to the Vietnam student protests of 1968, which in part inspired Le Guin’s book.
Le Guin changed science fiction. When she started publishing in the late 1950s, the genre tended to privilege scientific accuracy and technological credibility. But the ethically minded Le Guin used her work to challenge conventional norms and explore alternative societal structures, pushing readers to rethink their perceptions of the world around them.
