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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Willamina Public Library | JF LE GUIN | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | J Le Guin, U. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
When the Thinking Man of Moha and the Writing Woman of Maho talk about having a child, two children appear, shaped by the friends expectations of what a child should be.
Author Notes
Ursula K. Le Guin was born Ursula Kroeber in Berkeley, California on October 21, 1929. She received a bachelor's degree from Radcliffe College in 1951 and a master's degree in romance literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance from Columbia University in 1952. She won a Fulbright fellowship in 1953 to study in Paris, where she met and married Charles Le Guin.
Her first science-fiction novel, Rocannon's World, was published in 1966. Her other books included the Earthsea series, The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia, The Lathe of Heaven, Four Ways to Forgiveness, and The Telling. A Wizard of Earthsea received an American Library Association Notable Book citation, a Horn Book Honor List citation, and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1979. She received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 2014. She also received the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award. She also wrote books of poetry, short stories collections, collections of essays, children's books, a guide for writers, and volumes of translation including the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu and selected poems by Gabriela Mistral. She died on January 22, 2018 at the age of 88.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-- The Thinking Man and the Writing Woman cement their friendship by dreaming up their ideal children. He imagines a little girl who flutters and twinkles; she imagines a little boy who can fish and produce food for them. And lo! the children appear, but there is something wrong with them. The boy grows much too large to shelter, and the girl is nothing but a dress and shoes. Soon the adults realize they have expected the wrong things of the youngsters: too much of the boy and not enough of the girl. All is then put to rights. The setting of this social allegory is a far-off land of romance, in a literary sense. It is a story of mysterious events and idealized love. Writing Woman's books, which include The Oxford Elvish Dictionary and Logic Made Difficult , are strongly suggestive of the mythic nature of the tale. Flying mice and talking cats add to the otherworldliness, but there are blunt points made, too; the woman keeps a messy house, while the man is a neatnik. The effort to avoid a stereotype is almost itself a stereotype. Black-and-white drawings on a pale yellow background portray realistic humans set in a folkloric environment. Snug little cottages with twining vines and bottle glass windows appear in forests filled with gnarled trees and gnomish mushrooms. A good choice for those looking for easy fiction on gender discrimination. --Ruth Semrau, Lovejoy School, Allen, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
This meager original fable by celebrated author LeGuin concerns two adult friends, Thinking Man and Writing Woman. He is impeccably neat; she could care less about being tidy. He thinks; she writes and makes books. While they maintain separate lives (and homes), they enjoy each other's company. On one occasion, they speculate what kind of child they would each like. Thinking Man envisions a girl, but only as a flutter of dress and a patter of feet--nothing more. Writing Woman sees a boy--someone who can catch fish to be put into soup and perform other helpful chores. Their imaginations bring forth their own personal creations, with unexpected complications. Part fantasy, part comic look at parents' unrealistic expectations, this book may hold some vague appeal for children who like fantasy; LeGuin's loyal fans may also have an interest. All in all, however, the didactic tale isn't enough of a story from this gifted writer. Plus, Wynne's sepia-toned, cross-hatched art, despite a few clever touches (flying mice, a droll chess set), is bland--its prosaic, earthbound quality makes for a poor match with LeGuin's flight of fancy. Ages 7-9. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
The Thinking Man and the Writing Woman, who are friends, imagine two children for themselves -- Fishing Boy and Climbing Girl -- and then the children become real. A simple, mystical text, jarringly illustrated with realistic art. From HORN BOOK 1992, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A lighthearted but carefully honed fable that young readers can enjoy for its whimsical good humor while adults ponder Le Guin's continuing exploration of yin and yang. The ``Thinking Man of Moha'' lives in a tidy Victorian mansion, keeps a cow and a garden, catches fish, and serves nutritious meals featuring milk and vegetables. The ``Writing Woman of Maho'' lives nearby in a splendidly untidy stone cottage with a crowd of cats and winged mice, binding her books and occasionally making fish soup. The two visit each other for amiable meals and conversation; when the man suggests that they might have a child (to carry messages and finish the pudding), the woman doesn't see the point; neither, in fact, wants to give up any part of their established role. Still, the woman agrees, though ``I have a feeling it many not be so easy.'' Two half-grown children materialize; and, after the couple realizes that the boy is growing too large because the woman expects too much of him, while the girl consists of only a dress and shoes because the man expects too little, a cheerful accommodation is reached, incorporating the new generation. Almost schematic in its simplicity, but the tale engages with imaginative touches of fantasy, elaborated on with wry common sense. Wynne, new to children's books, enhances it enormously with his charming drawings, with forms announced in bold, sure lines and completed in delicate stippling. The illustrations are crammed with amusing and intriguing details, especially the delightful mice. A classic. (Fiction. 5+)