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The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 · rating details · 1,516 ratings · 106 reviews

Some inhabitants of a peaceful kingdom cannot tolerate the act of cruelty that underlies its happiness.
The story "Omelas" was first published in New Dimensions 3, a hard-cover science fiction anthology edited by Robert Silverberg, in October 1973, and the following year it won Le Guin the prestigious Hugo Award for best short story.
It was subsequently printed in her short...more

Hardcover, 32 pages

Published April 1st 1997 by Creative Education (first published October 1973)

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Oct 15, 2012 Nataliya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Nataliya by: Traveller

Shelves: 2012-reads, ursula-k-le-guin, location-is-the-true-protagonist

Is the happiness of thousands worth the suffering of a single innocent person? Of one innocent child? Think about that. And hold your loud and resounding and outraged NO! for a minute.

A background - this is what the brilliant Ursula K. Le Guin brings up in her very short 1973 story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. It just a few pages she asks us to conceive of a utopia, a place where everyone enjoys happiness, the lovely place. But for reasons unspecified, the happiness of all others depends...more Is the happiness of thousands worth the suffering of a single innocent person? Of one innocent child? Think about that. And hold your loud and resounding and outraged NO! for a minute.

A background - this is what the brilliant Ursula K. Le Guin brings up in her very short 1973 story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. It just a few pages she asks us to conceive of a utopia, a place where everyone enjoys happiness, the lovely place. But for reasons unspecified, the happiness of all others depends on the suffering of a small child confined in the dark, unloved, malnourished and dirty with its own feces. And everyone knows, and comes to accept. Except for a few who, against all the reason, think of the child and decide to walk away from Omelas into the unknown; walk away from the happiness of many built on the suffering of one.

"The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas."

So what the question boils down to - does the benefit of many outweigh the suffering of few? You think you have your answer ready? Is it a resounding NO! coming from the bottom of your outraged heart? I hope it is. And, at the same time, I hope it is not. Because nothing is as simple as that. Yes, what I'm trying to say is that even if we think there's only one answer to that, we are contradicting ourselves. Because we have not only made choices that contradict our outraged and heartfelt and very human 'NO!' - but we have often flaunted them so very proudly.

Think more about that - isn't the majority's benefit trumping whatever else minority may think the cornerstone of our favorite and concept of such a long time now - that precious and treasured democracy that is so often presented as the ultimate goal of human societal structure. Which, unlike what so many high school students are taught, is not the power of the people. It is the power of majority, their needs and wishes, to trump the wishes and needs of minority by the power of vote. Because we have known and accepted throughout history that we cannot make everyone happy.

In short, someone will always have to suffer. Through enlightenment and struggle for human rights we apparently have come to the conclusion that at least it's better when minority suffers rather than majority. This is the concept that people appear to strive for, have died defending, and have used to justify a whole lot of great and not-so-great things. That's really all we have come to applaud and flaunt. That's our democracy, folks. So how is it any different from a nameless suffering child in Omelas? Is it only the suffering of innocent childhood then that makes us appalled?

We choose the benefit of many over the benefit of the few ALL THE DAMN TIME, like it or leave it. I feel it daily as a member of the medical profession. I will be deliberately simplistic here, okay? Think of every screening program that we do not do because of it not being cost-effective. Think of all the antibiotics we do not give people who come in with what seems to be clearly a viral infection to prevent community antibiotic resistance - will we miss a few who would benefit from antibiotics? Surely. But to benefit them, we'd need to hurt the well-being of the community, and that is not okay, we believe. Are we right? We probably are, from the benefit to the majority standpoint. But are we right from the point of view of the one person who did not feel better? Probably not.

"Their tears at the bitter injustice dry when they begin to perceive the terrible justice of reality, and to accept it."

So is there the answer to the question that Ursula Le Guin asks? From the way this story is presented, I'd say the visceral response she is going for is NO! It is not worth it. And that's what the few who choose to dissociate themselves from this happy-for-the-majority place see. That is why they walk away. Because sometimes you cannot live with yourself otherwise. Because our ultimate goal as humans, as above all compassionate species (I sincerely hope we are!) is to not be content with such a situation.

But the importance of Le Guin's story is to also see the other side of this, the side we mostly choose to live on (maybe because we are not that often challenged about it in our daily lives) even if viscerally most of us, when actually presented with the harsh reality, like the inhabitants of Omelas all are, reject it.

"It is because of the child that they are so gentle with children. They know that if the wretched one were not there sniveling in the dark, the other one, the flute-player, could make no joyful music as the young riders line up in their beauty for the race in the sunlight of the first morning of summer."

The question is - faced with reality, knowing how the world works (or at least seems to work) which side would we choose? Or more importantly, no matter which side we end up on for one reason or another, would we continue remembering the pain of the ones that suffer and the happiness of those who do not, and would we make our choices thinking of the both sides? I hope I will. And I hope so will the others. And I also know that, sadly, even in the happiest of times to come, we will still all be living in Omelas.

Won't we?...............

If you think you're not, then you have not yet seen the poor little innocent suffering victim.

"But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas."

(less)

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Jun 15, 2012 Traveller rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: four-and-a-half-stars

To me, this short story offers one of those "open question" scenarios. Apparently it was written in response to Le Guin's reading of the following passage from The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life by William James:

Or if the hypothesis were offered us of a world in which Messrs. Fourier's and Bellamy's and Morris's utopias should all be outdone, and millions kept permanently happy on the one simple condition that a certain lost soul on the far-off edge of things should lead a life of lonely t...more To me, this short story offers one of those "open question" scenarios. Apparently it was written in response to Le Guin's reading of the following passage from The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life by William James:

Or if the hypothesis were offered us of a world in which Messrs. Fourier's and Bellamy's and Morris's utopias should all be outdone, and millions kept permanently happy on the one simple condition that a certain lost soul on the far-off edge of things should lead a life of lonely torture, what except a specifical and independent sort of emotion can it be which would make us immediately feel, even though an impulse arose within us to clutch at the happiness so offered, how hideous a thing would be its enjoyment when deliberately accepted as the fruit of such a bargain?

Le Guin wrote the piece as a musing piece of speculation, building her imagined utopia as a : "Perhaps this or perhaps that, but definitely this and this."

To me her "utopia" had the flavor of a 60's or 70's hippie's idea of what an utopia might be, I can see Ms Le Guin with bare feet and flowers in her hair.. :)

She did a very good job of posing a moral dilemma; one that doesn't seem to have a pat answer, and which one rolls around in your head considering options against one another.

I agree with the opinion that walking away might not be the best option...-personally, I would save the child and tough cookies for the rest, but I realize a lot of people would not agree with that way out, and I actually respect each person's 'choice' regarding the tough moral decision posed in the story.

I don't agree, however, with the idea that "Omelas" is supposed to represent the West and the child the Third World. Firstly, changing the plight of the Third World is certainly not as easy as simply taking the child out of it's closet and feeding and caring for it. In fact, interference tends only to instigate dependence and more misery, if anything. But yes, I agree that those who exploit aspects of the Third World only to profiteer from such connivance are of course worsening the plight of those they interfere with.

...and secondly, doing the latter would not magically plunge the West into darkness. There are many countries in the West who are doing fine without having to rely on 'exploitation' of the 3rd world. If, for example, Africa (or Tuvalu) or Tasmania had never existed, would that cause untold misery for the entire rest of the world? Do we need misery anywhere to make the rest happier? Personally I just cannot see it, (in the sense that the child makes the Omelasians' utopia possible) although, if any part of the world was not there the rest would of course be culturally be poorer, and poorer in knowledge and diversity; but that's not the point I'm trying to make - I'm trying to say that I don't see how a scapegoat is essential for an Utopia in such a physical sense.

I think this is a piece that is very hard to figure out if you try to tie it to a very specific situation, and serves it's best value if you keep it as a sort of more abstract question. I think Le Guin didn't intend for it to be specifically tied to only one situation, but rather as a general question of ethics;- one which mainly challenges the idea of utilitarianism.

Of course, the very open-endedness of the scenario allows for it to be applied to as many specific situations as people can find it fit to do.(less)

29 likes · like · see review

Jul 09, 2012 Erich Franz Guzmann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Erich by: Stephen

Shelves: 1970s, allegory, author-female, award-nominee, award-winner, fiktion, hugo-award, kurzgeschichte, science-fiction, fantasy, dystopian, philosophisch, klassiker, politik, recommendation-review, psychologisch, realism, groteske, sociology, favourite, horror, kultur, male-protagonist

What an amazing tale!
I am really glad I read it, (thanks for the recommendation review Stephen) though the imagery and the social and philosophical writing was very heart-wrenching, and/but eye opening indeed, as well.

There are a couple of sites that are offering the eBook version for free in the PDf format and it is short enough that if you have 10-20 minutes to spare, you should definitely give it a shot and let us know what you think, This is one I would not pass up if I were you. I am glad I

...more

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Jul 01, 2008 Jude rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jude by: kimi reminded me

It's curious that so many (amazon) reviewers identify so uncritically with those who walk away. I think that is the base-note of the story - and the element that haunts those of us who often witness injustice from a heartsick and ineffectual distance: having enough wit to see wrong but not enough imagination/courage/energy to engage with it, change it.

A friend of mine teaches this story in college. There is a goose-bump moment when one student comprehends why the story is named what it is and w...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Dawn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories, science-fiction

I read the story and then read about a dozen of the reviews for it, to see some other opinions. I like the fact that the story has generated such opposing opinions but I'm having a hard time defining just what I think of the tale myself.

I am fundamentally opposed to having one persons pain procure the happiness of everyone else but 'the good of the many outweigh the good of the few' also rings true for me. Maybe it's because in this story, the 'few' has no say in the matter, that it disturbs me?...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Trudi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, classics, fantastical-speculative, horror-in-a-small-town, horror, short-stories

This classic short story popped up in my feed this evening, and I decided to hunt it down and read it for myself. Gorgeous gut puncher is all I can say. I love a story that can sneak up on you like that and demand from you everything in you to give. It's one of those stories that insinuates itself into your soul, that lingers in the mind.

LeGuin poses the age-old question, does the end ever justify the means? Is the sacrifice of one or few ever worth it if it means protection of the many? Humans...more

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Sep 01, 2009 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 11, 2011 Rosey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, thought, favorites

I loved this short story in high school and I love to re-read it every so often. It still holds up.

When I first read it, I thought I was the person not in the story - the one who rescues the basement kid and makes sure no one ever has to go through that again. But over time, I wonder who I really am. What's the difference between the people who walk away (into situations that may or may not have the same "rules") and those who stay?

And of course I love rolling around in my head the theme that...more

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Mar 22, 2013 X rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy

It took me a while to figure out the real point of the story. As I thought about it, my estimation of the story grew.

(view spoiler)...more It took me a while to figure out the real point of the story. As I thought about it, my estimation of the story grew.

(view spoiler)[The child is just a symbol of the suffering that exists in the real world. As the story says, the child will be worse off if released. So the point is that suffering will exist no matter what anybody does.

(As a side note, you might have unanswered questions about the child. Why was it locked away in the first place? If it dies, will another be kidnapped? Well, these questions are irrelevant, which you might say is a flaw with this story. The child is really just a symbol.)

You might at first think that the point of the story is to see the citizens of Omelas as cruel for locking the child away. This is not so. If you have a roof over your head at night and enough food to eat and don't have to fear for your safety most of the time, then in a way you are much like the people of Omelas yourself. While you enjoy your freedoms, there are people out there suffering right now, and there's nothing you can do about it. Does that make you cruel?

No. That's the point. Maybe you volunteer and help those in need. But what about all the other people who are in need? Even if you spend every waking moment volunteering, even if you are a wealthy philanthropist who has donated millions, there will still be people suffering in spite of your efforts to help them. Does that make you cruel? Of course not.

So what about the ones who walk away? What are they really doing? Are they actually going somewhere? Or are they going to the mountains with the intention of flinging themselves off?

At the end of the story you might have thought them noble for walking away. But are they? As the story says, the citizens who stay have been humbled by (in Le Guin's own words) "the acceptance of their helplessness". They can be compassionate and lead fuller lives because it's the only thing they can do to fight against the injustice of the incurable suffering. By living, and living well, they can use their energies to deal with the suffering that they CAN do something about.

The ones who walk away are walking away from their fellow people. They are removing their own abilities from their community. Since they can't help the child, they are choosing not to help the others, either. And that IS cruel.

There will always be suffering that we can't do anything about, but we shouldn't despair, and we shouldn't feel guilty for the privileged lives we lead, but we SHOULD help when we can. (hide spoiler)](less)

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May 28, 2012 Sunny in Wonderland rated it 4 of 5 stars

This short story reminds me of a music course I once took.

When I was taking an applied music course in college, the professor held a class once a month for all APMU students, regardless of level, to sit in a class and play for each other and be critiqued by our peers. At the time, I was the ONLY first semester student, and the other fifteen or so students had been playing for five or more years. So, I was quite nervous about how these students - all younger than me by at least a decade - would r...more

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Jan 22, 2010 Josh Saxe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Many reviewers seem to be asking, if people can walk away from the need for a scapegoat, that's one thing, but how about staying and fighting to end the practice altogether, why has le Guin left this group out? I think maybe for le Guin the group that walks away is this group, as they've walked away psychically, not physically, coming to inhabit some new spiritual and emotional terrain in which they no longer participate in barbarism masquerading as civilization. The possibility that the rest ma...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Ana rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

This short story does not ring true for me. I would assume for a society to have peace and happiness the way this one does, it would have to be built on rationality. For such an irrational plot device to arise in such a society makes mo sense; it seems like it is only there to provoke the reader to consider where, as a society and individually, we neglect that which we should not, and to think about where we can walk away from such actions. Not fix them, no, but walk away from them. Perpetrating...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Darien rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: controversial-books, award-winner, fantasy

Darien Munden
Award Winner

The focus of this story is a fairytale paradise called Omelas. In this town everyone is care free. There is no disease, no ugliness, no death or decay. Visitors to the temple grounds in Omelas are free to copulate with any of the attractive priests and priestesses they so desire. In short, Omelas is a carnal paradise, but there's a catch. All of this beauty and seeming perfection depends solely upon the suffering of one small child who is kept in a dungeon beneath Omelas...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Prashant rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book

Crazy, Crazy Stuff !

I stand in awe of the authors who can sketch the multi-dimentional world in few paragraphs. The love and hate, the calm and chaos, the active and passive, the politics and policies, the credo and beliefs, everything wrapped in a dainty package and delivered right at you doorstep. All one has to do is open and decipher it.

In this story Guin tells us of the city Omelas, calmer, happier and more model than any other. But underneath the quiet lies a secret which everyone knows a...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Sierra Rush rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: different-world, inspiring

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 07, 2012 Lizzie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, short-stories, for-school, 2012

This is really more a thought experiment than a short story, but there's so much of an authorial voice in it that it's a really great read. It's basically a precis for a world that Le Guin sets up as fantastical, but sort of as a trick, and then explains it away. This world is perfect, she's saying, just like ours except without everything that makes life dark. And then she tells you the trade-off.

It's a crystal clear allegory that applies to all kinds of things, and I think readers could easily...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Suhrob rated it 2 of 5 stars

I found this disapointigly underdeveloped both formally (cheap authorial voice intrusions) and also content-wise. Interpersonal utility comparison and aggregation is a fascinating and uterlly important question, but this story doesn't really engage with it.

Just for fun - even if you do not really want deal with these hard questions may I suggest a few other branches to the presented (false) dilemma: "those-who-tried-to-organise-a-rescue-action-regardless-of-consequences-in-omelas" and "those-who...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Amanda added it

Shelves: science-fiction, dystopia, short-stories, online-ebook, school

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 08, 2011 Jennifer M. Hartsock rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this story, even if I deciphered the symbolism incorrectly. I like the style of writing and the message the author got across to me. I would like to read more of her work.

In my opinion, the city of Omelas symbolizes ignorance. These people are beautiful, without problems, without pain, and so forth. This disabled child symbolizes everything “wrong” in the world. These “beautiful” people shun it, know it’s there, but do not accept it into society. This is exactly the definition o...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Daniel Roy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Daniel by: Minister Faust

Shelves: sf

I love this story dearly. I know many often see it as a Gedankenexperiment on Utopia and the cost we are willing to pay for it; I see it as a metaphor for our own lives in the Western world. Much of our prosperity and convenience, sometimes our sense of happiness and self, necessitates the misery of others. Child labor for our consumer goods, or war for oil.

That's why I have a hard time believing someone would not accept Omelas's deal. I feel that we as a society have done so in orders of magnit...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Mark DC rated it 4 of 5 stars

We read this in class today because it connected to our Oedipus unit. The major common theme is the idea of a scapegoat. The "psychomyth" utopia, Omelas is home to happiness and exuberance and all seems well. Though, in fact, in order for the utopia to be so lively and happy, a little boy must be sacrificed to suffer from perpetual darkness and misery. The citizens of Omelas are eventually informed of the existence and purpose of this child; some people accept this and go on with their happy liv...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Luisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: narrativa, 2012, chall_12_inglese, d__america, dove__casa1, gen__distopia, chall_12_rec, chall_12_usa, 1_sistemati

Omelas, città felice, i cui cittadini sanno distinguere tra il necessario, il superfluo ed il dannoso:
Happiness is based on a just discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither necessary nor destructive, and what is destructive."
Omelas, città incantata, che celebra non il trionfo sui nemici, ma la vittoria della vita e la pienezza dell'estate.
Omelas, città perfetta?
La maggior parte degli abitanti ritiene di sì, pur sapendo bene ciò che è confinato dietro una porta chiusa a chiave in uno s...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: should-reads

I was intrigued with this short story from the time that I read it's description after clicking on it from a long list of 'books to read before you die.' The title just seemed so intriguing and I really love short stories. Then I realized, after a bit of searching, that it was going to be pretty difficult to get my hands on so I sort of just but it on the to-read shelf and sort of forgot about. But I ordered Le Guin's Orsinian Tales off of Amazon and read that over Christmas. It was a bit of a h...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Fiona rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: junior-year

In the story, Omelas is a utopian city of happiness and delight.The people who live there are all smart and cultured. Everything about Omelas is pleasing, except for the secret of the city: the good fortune of Omelas requires that a single unfortunate child be kept in perpetual filth, darkness and misery, and that all her citizens should be told of this on coming of age. Each child has to keep in mind that they might not being able to live the great life that everyone else does.
After being exp...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Errant rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this short story for class and it was amazing! A real breath of fresh air and so unique. It utilizes setting in a way I have never seen. And I read a lot. The setting for this short story really is what makes the story. With so many other books I read the setting is merely a back drop but this story is very unique in that the setting is the story. I am telling you read it, if you have not because it really shows what an author can do when they know what they are doing.

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Apr 23, 2011 Dray rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interested in utopian/dystopian lit

Recommended to Dray by: 471803459340 English classes

Shelves: is-this-utopia

Wow! I'd never read Le Guin, though about every class I take references her. There is a reason for this, apparently. In so few pages, the people of Omelas have taken up hours of my thoughts. Prepare to be saddened.

Oh, and I read a version that has a forward by Le Guin. Apparently the name 'Omelas' came into her head when she saw a sign for Salem, OR. It's backwards! (minus the R, which is okay because Romelas sounds like a weird Rome/Las Vegas combo)

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Apr 19, 2013 Akira Murphy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of LeGuin's most famous and finest works. While short, it is has a focused and important philosophical question that everyone must deal with. LeGuin's style is also well suited to this task, with it's powerful emphasis on the simple joys of living a life, heightening the utopian feel of Omelas, while also showing the extreme cost of this. Her writing, as always, is empathic and never hyperbolic. Extremely good. Everyone should read it.

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Jun 28, 2010 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 6-star-books, all-time-favorites, sf-short-stories-anthologies

6.0 stars. On my list of "All Time Favorite" short stories and is in the running to be number one. Not so much a story as a narrative description of a fictional town in which everyone lives in complete and total happiness at the expense of one child's abject misery and suffering. As powerful and as emotional a piece of writing as I have ever read in any genre. Find it and read it and I am sure you will agree. This one is amazing. Highest Possible Recommendation.

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Jun 04, 2012 Peggy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this short story last fall for a college English class. The entire semester focused on literature about utopian societies. This one was interesting, but the reasoning behind how one cruel circumstance made up for/allowed for the rest of the society to live well and happy just doesn't compute with me. I have the same issue with the idea of how Jesus dying absolves us of our sins. I just don't see the reasoning behind that idea.

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May 28, 2012 Evan Leach rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1970-1979, fantasy, short-stories

This excellent short story describes a utopian society with a cost: the happiness of its inhabitants depends on (view spoiler). A quick read but it packs a heavy punch, and you don't need to be a lover of traditional fantasy/sci-fi to appreciate it. This was my first experience reading Le Guin and I'll definitely be revisiting her in the future. 5 stars, highly recommended.

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About Ursula K. Le Guin

As of 2011, Ursula K. Le Guin has published twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. Forthcoming...more As of 2011, Ursula K. Le Guin has published twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. Forthcoming in 2012, Finding My Elegy, New and Selected Poems. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

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Ούρσουλα Λε Γκεν (Ursula Kroeber Le Guin, Berkeley California, 21 Οκτωβρίου 1929 - ) Πολυγραφότατη, πολυδιάστατη και πολυβραβευμένη Αμερικανίδα ποιήτρια και συγγραφέας του χώρου της «Επιστημονικής Φαντασίας» αλλά και των παιδικών διηγημάτων.

ΠΡΩΤΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΑ
Γεννήθηκε στο Μπέρκλεϋ της Καλιφόρνιας από τον ανθρωπολόγο Άλφρεντ Κρέμπερ (Alfred L. Kroeber) και την συγγραφέα Θεοδώρα Κρέμπερ (Theodora Covel BrownKracaw Kroeber), σπούδασε στο «Radcliffe College» και εν συνεχεία Φιλολογία (γαλλική και ιταλική αναγεννησιακή λογοτεχνία) στο «Πανεπιστήμιο Columbia». Το 1953 παντρεύτηκε στην Γαλλία τον ιστορικό Σαρλ Λε Γκεν (Charles A. Le Guin), που έγινε καθηγητής Γαλλικής Ιστορίας στο «Portland State College» του Όρεγκον και απέκτησε μαζί του 3 παιδιά.

«ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΟΝΙΚΗ» ΚΑΙ «ΜΕΣΑΙΩΝΙΚΗ» ΦΑΝΤΑΣΙΑ
Από τα μέσα της δεκαετίας του 1960 συνέγραψε περισσότερα από 100 διηγήματα (που εκδόθηκαν σε 8 τόμους), 3 συλλογές δοκιμίων, 5 ποιητικές συλλογές, 19 νουβέλες και 13 παιδικά βιβλία, αλλά είναι περισσότερο αναγνωρισμένη για τα έργα της στον τομέα της «Επιστημονικής» και «Μεσαιωνικής» Φαντασίας, όπου συγκαταλέγεται ανάμεσα στους σημαντικότερους σύγχρονους δημιουργούς (πιο γνωστά στην Ελλάδα είναι τα βιβλία της «Ο Αναρχικός των Δύο Κόσμων», Αθήνα, 1992 και «Το Αριστερό Χέρι του Σκοταδιού», Αθήνα, 1990, 1994). Το 1990 αιφνιδίασε το αναγνωστικό κοινό της όταν πρόσθεσε δίχως προειδοποίηση στην έως τότε τριλογία του «μαγικού» «κύκλου της Γαιοθάλασσας» («A Wizard of Earthsea», «The Tombs of Atuan» και «The FarthestShore», 1968 - 1972) το σκληρό «Τεχανού», για το οποίο έλαβε το Βραβείο Nebula.(less)

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A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)

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“The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pendants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.” — 306 people liked it

“This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.” — 6 people liked it

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