4.5 stars...

It starts rather difficultly. At the beginning, the reader may find it a bit hard to get into the story. However, as the book progresses, its beauty becomes truly great.

The author gradually unfolds a fascinating world filled with complex characters and intricate plotlines. The writing style evolves, becoming more engaging and captivating.

Each page-turn brings new surprises and revelations, making it impossible to put the book down.

The story takes the reader on a journey of emotions, from confusion and uncertainty to excitement and wonder.

Despite the initial challenges, the overall experience of reading this book is highly rewarding. It leaves a lasting impression and makes the reader eager to explore more of the author's works.

Overall, it is a book that starts with a rocky beginning but ends up being a truly remarkable and unforgettable read.

As I delved deeper into Le Guin's literary works, the significance of using the circle as a metaphor became increasingly clear to me. Suddenly, those with circle tattoos no longer seemed as cringeworthy as they once did. This theme pervades all of her books, especially within the Hainish cycle. The idea that return is as crucial as the voyage is truly profound. Isn't it fitting that we always end up where we began, which is nowhere? Or as Shevek so eloquently puts it in this book, we always return home as long as we understand that home is a place we have never been.

Anarres, the anarchist planet (and it's important to note that it's postmodern anarchism, despite Le Guin's use of Proudhon, Bakunin, and Kropotkin's theories in its creation), is much more than just a fictional world. It is an embodiment of its people, specifically their ideas and revolutionary spirit. Through various ethical dilemmas presented as plot points, Le Guin explores the essential quandary that all anarchists must face: social responsibility versus individual freedom. Of course, one could argue that individual freedom would reach its maximum potential in a society without a state, organized religion, or private property, as everyone would receive an equal share. However, this can only be successful if there is mutual cooperation and aid. So, how is an anarchist society supposed to overcome power relations? Even without a hierarchical structure, there will always be power vacuums and individual psychological dispositions towards power. Le Guin's answer, as radical as the rest of the book, is linguistic anarchism. Pravic, the language developed for the Anarresti, has no personal pronouns. While this may sound intriguing, it also presents its own limitations. It arrests the revolution temporally and creates channels for bureaucracy to seep in. Shevek realizes that only by fully understanding what we are opposing can we truly fight against it. Pravic, with its strict linguistic structure, does not allow for this. Just as the powerful on Urras were not overly concerned about the rise of anarchism before Shevek's arrival because they knew their people lacked the linguistic means to conceptualize it. We may desire to break free from all social constraints and open our minds in every direction, but sometimes we are doomed to failure due to the tyranny that language imposes on us.

It is truly remarkable how Le Guin writes about physics in a way that sounds logical and plausible without delving too deeply into the subject. I adore the way she describes the experience of time in consciousness, seeing all becoming as one being and thus understanding the eternal return.

Le Guin has stated that Shevek was modeled after the physicist Robert Oppenheimer. This strikes me as ironic and amusing, considering that Oppenheimer was essentially the head of the Manhattan project, while Shevek risked his life to ensure that his revolutionary work would not be weaponized by the "profiteers" and would be shared openly and freely. Although, Oppenheimer later became vocal about ethical science and was academically exiled due to rampant American McCarthyism, so perhaps he is a good fit after all.

In Shevek, we witness the remembrance, becoming, permanence, eternal return, and revolution that lies at the heart of anarchism.

"You cannot buy the Revolution. You cannot make the Revolution. You can only be the Revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere."

This is my 100th review, and of course, it had to be of one of my all-time favorite books. Given that I only started writing reviews during lockdown last year, I must have had an abundance of time on my hands. Well, might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

\\n  “My world, my Earth, is a ruin. A planet spoiled by the human species. We multiplied and gobbled and fought until there was nothing left, and then we died. We controlled neither appetite nor violence; we did not adapt. We destroyed ourselves. But we destroyed ourselves first. There are no forests left on my Earth.”\\n

The Dispossessed is an outstanding novel with numerous significant aspects worthy of in-depth discussion. However, the above quote truly caught my attention and will be the focus of this review.

It is of great importance as it showcases Le Guin's preoccupation with ecological thought, a recurring theme throughout her work. The character has witnessed environmental collapse and understands precisely the reasons behind it. It occurred because there were no limitations on appetite, indulgence, and violence. Resources became mere commodities, and all the forests were decimated. Humans failed to adapt, learn, or grow. They persisted on their destructive path, which ultimately led to their downfall. (Don't you think she's trying to convey a powerful message here?)

Le Guin establishes this by demonstrating that humanity is doomed to fail due to the divisions among us. She portrays two worlds with diametrically opposed values. Urras represents the essence of consumerist and destructive capitalism, while Anarres is an anarchist utopia where no government rules and every person is born equal. The former is driven by the pursuit of wealth and expansion, the latter by socialist ideals. Although the alternative seems appealing to each, both have their limitations as they cannot be achieved in their purest form.

Shevek, the protagonist and a brilliant physicist, comes to terms with the unattainability of true freedom because of the fickleness of human nature. He, the only one to witness the limitations of both political ideologies, understands that neither is sufficient to save or benefit humanity alone. The ideology of Anarres, with its emphasis on universal survival through altruism, is undoubtedly the most attractive to me (and to him). However, its system is vulnerable to exploitation by the corrupt. For example, the idea:

\\n  “We don’t count relatives much; we are all relatives, you see.”\\n

This is a wonderful concept as it extends the idea of family to every individual. Blood and relation do not matter; we should look out for everyone regardless of our connection to them. This basic notion is innate and a moral principle for those born on Anarres. It is a simple requirement of society to ensure the survival of humanity. Everyone is here together and should work together. The ideology promotes universal altruism over individual aggrandizement, but if one deviates from this, there are no consequences. Trust is the key, but not everyone in life is trustworthy.

And this is where the story becomes complex. The freedom discussed here pertains to the concept of individual expression and argument. Both planets believe that their system is the best and will benefit human advancement if everyone embraces it. They close themselves off and shut their minds. Shevek, as a scientist, wants his ideas to benefit all. It's not about political ideology; it's about benefiting all humans as a whole and not taking sides.

The underlying current of ecological concerns expresses this perfectly: we are all in this together, and we must adapt, change, and grow together to avoid spoiling our planet(s). We must not destroy our own humanity first, for if we do, we will destroy our world and our forests.

Two years later, these ecological concepts would be further expanded upon in the equally remarkable The Word for World is Forest (note the title and its connection to the quote). After reading these two works, I consider Ursula K. Le Guin not only one of my favorite novelists but also one of the most important writers of the late twentieth century.

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So, I did not like this book nor enjoy my experience of reading it.

However, there are many people I know who would greatly enjoy this book, so this is just my experience, not an indictment of the book itself. I'll save those for books I really just think are bad.

In many ways, THE DISPOSSESSED is like a KJ Parker book. It has an unlikeable protagonist, a bunch of talking/philosophizing, is About Something in human nature, and has long paragraphs of exposition about a highly specialized topic. All of this is set in a story where not much is happening. I don't know why I bounced off of this one so badly. For starters, unlike Parker's books, I think we're supposed to like and root for Shevek. I don't think we're meant to like Saevus or Saloninus, even though we do. Shevek, like these protags, is a master of basically everything and the smartest person in the room. Additionally, the long specialized talks are about physics and math. I'm ok with economics, blacksmithing, colony-planting, farming, manufacturing, army logistics, and corpse disposal but physics and math is apparently where I draw the line.

I know some of my friends got emotional during this book. I guess I can see where that could happen, but even though the latter part of the book I almost enjoyed, I was way too far gone against this book by the time any of it happened and I just couldn't care any less than I did about what happened to either of the planets.

As a final caveat, read the description of this book from the blurb on the back. It is not about that at all.

A must-read for people who like books with Something To Say.

This was my first LeGuin, but I'm not counting her out just yet. I'll probably read at least one more before making my summary judgment.

Yep….

“Utterly Smitten”!!!

Thank you s.penkevich!!!

In this complex world, we are constantly faced with various challenges. Society pressures and obligations often weigh us down, making it difficult to pursue our true desires. Political themes also play a significant role, shaping our beliefs and actions. Additionally, the concept of gender fluidity has emerged, challenging traditional notions of gender. Anarchy, although often seen as a chaotic state, also holds the possibility of a new way of life. We can explore how it might work and the implications it could have. There are also two competing societies, each with its own values and systems. In the midst of all this, there is a scientist with great vision, someone who can see the POSSIBILITY OF LIFE WORKING FOR EVERYBODY!

“He was clearly aware of only one thing, his own total isolation. The world had fallen out from under him, and he was left alone”. This powerful statement reflects the feelings of many in a world that can sometimes seem cold and unforgiving. “He had always feared that this would happen, more than he had ever feared death. To die is to lose the self and re-join the rest. He had kept himself, and lost the rest”. These words highlight the importance of connection and the consequences of isolation.

“Shevek had learned how to wait. He was good at it, an expert. He had first learned the skill waiting for his mother Rulag to come back, though that was so long ago he didn’t remember it; and he had perfected it waiting for his turn, waiting to share, waiting for a share. At the age of eight he asked why and how and what yes, but he seldom asked when”. This passage shows the patience and perseverance of Shevek, a character who has faced many challenges in his life.

“You’re a very honored guest. Please don’t judge us by the crew of the ship, they’re very ignorant, limited men—you have no idea of the welcome you’ll get on Urras. After all you’re a world-famous—a galactically famous scientist! And our first visitor from Annarres! I assure you, things will be very different when we come into Peier Field”. These words create a sense of anticipation and excitement for what is to come.

Touching, compelling, amazing….and inspiring!

4.0 to 4.5 stars.

This is a truly exceptional novel and stands as one of the finest explorations of political theory and individual freedom in the realm of science fiction.

Often, authors tend to "hammer" their beliefs into readers' heads and make blatant speeches through one-dimensional characters, leaving no room for doubt about which side is right and which is wrong. But that's not the case with this novel.

LeGuin's central message is that individual freedom is the most precious commodity in the universe. In communicating this, she is clearly sympathetic to and ultimately an advocate for Shevek's anarchist society. However, through her main character, she also delves into both the virtues and flaws of capitalism, communism, and socialism via some very well-developed supporting characters. She also vividly shows the flaws of the "preferred" anarchy system through her main character and his experiences.

While I ultimately don't agree with LeGuin's political philosophy, I really appreciate how she presented it in a thoughtful and highly respectful way. One crucial message from her novel is that any form of government, even a non-governmental system, must always be vigilant against the concentration of power in the hands of a few. I believe that's something most people can concur with.

Oh, and by the way, the book is extremely well-written, with excellent world-building and is an absolute joy to read. Highly recommended!!!!

Winner: Hugo Award for Best Novel

Winner: Nebula Award for Best Novel

Winner: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel

Winner: Prometheus Award for Best Novel

Named to the Locus list of "All Time Best" Science Fiction novels.

**"The Dispossessed: A Thought-Provoking Exploration of Utopia and Reality"**

Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Dispossessed" is a remarkable work that combines elements of a novel, a political treatise, and an extended metaphor. The story unfolds through parallel narratives, with the protagonist Shevek visiting the thinly-veiled United States (A-Io) on the planet Urras while also growing up on the anarcho-communist Anarres.

The novel is a fierce yet gentle and carefully constructed exploration of ideas. It challenges reader preconceptions about government, human nature, and the potential for change. The descriptions of A-Io, while perhaps not entirely new to some, are still powerful and thought-provoking. The true beauty of the novel, however, lies in its depiction of Anarres. Le Guin shows both the admirable ideals that created this "Ambiguous Utopia" and the issues and ugliness that can surface even in the most well-intentioned societies.

What makes "The Dispossessed" truly special is Le Guin's sophisticated writing. She presents a multi-leveled view of the world, where nothing is all bad or all good. Humans and ideas are fallible, and everything must change. The novel also巧妙地 incorporates Shevek's Theory of Simultaneity into its structure and themes, adding another layer of depth.

In conclusion, "The Dispossessed" is a must-read for those who enjoy sitting back and thinking about big ideas. It is a novel that will stay with you long after you have turned the last page, making you question your own beliefs and assumptions about the world we live in.

It is a powerful reminder that while utopia may be an elusive goal, it is still worth striving for, as long as we are willing to face the challenges and imperfections along the way.

Contentment generally doesn't compel writers to their greatest work.

Historian Barbara Tuchman mentions this in one of her books. I believe it holds true for fiction as well. The happiness of others - making babies, seeing friends, getting drunk, and so on - is simply a bore. Even if it occurs a million years in the future on two adjacent planets 20 light years away.

The writing, however, is far superior to the content, which is why I award it 3 stars. There can be no question that here, at least, Le Guin has crafted excellent genre-based literary fiction. It's a novel of ideas, firmly rooted in mid-twentieth-century problems: anarchism, police states, capitalism, espionage, revolutionaries, and the common good.

Yet, I found it to be a rather dull recapitulation of some very old and tired ideas. Although there's no doubting the enthusiasm with which it was written, I skipped the last fifty pages.

Perhaps the author was too content with exploring these familiar themes, rather than pushing the boundaries and creating something truly original. Nevertheless, the quality of the writing cannot be ignored, and it still makes for an interesting read.

Overall, while the book has its flaws, it's a testament to Le Guin's skill as a writer and her ability to engage readers with complex ideas.

We humans truly seem to falter at the system level, don't we?

Despite our best efforts to create a fair community of independent individuals, we inevitably wind up suppressing those individuals during the process of allocating our self-made spoils according to increasingly corrupt rules and guidelines that continuously change in favor of those who happen to have the power to pen them down.

The Dispossessed are omnipresent. What they are deprived of in their specific lives hinges on the idiosyncratic course of history. It constantly astonishes me that science fiction from distant decades in the past century remains so precise, heartfelt, and true, despite the chronological progression that has permitted (or should have permitted!) change to occur. Perhaps Shevek's temporalist concepts are accurate for fiction at least? Maybe the past, the future, and the peculiar in-between that we term the present - due to the lack of words to describe what is never truly there - are concurrently experienced whenever we peruse a book of this sort, reflecting on us and our present predicament, on the future and its intimidating prospects, and on the past and its terrifying unlearned lessons?

And what unites us in reading is not a passionate adherence to the dogma of Urras or Anarres, but rather a sorrowful nod in acknowledgment that neither system functioned as a one-size-fits-all template to enable humans to lead a decent and occasionally happy life.

It is a lovely, well-written, and thrilling story that contains more food for thought than meets the eye. Recommended to both Urras and Anarres alike, for we are all the stuff that dreams are made of...

   “Who do you think is lying to us?” Shevek demanded.
Placid, Bedap met his gaze. “Who, brother? Who but ourselves?”

This was a late 2023 read, but I simply cannot leave my review space blank. Every time I read a Le Guin novel, I come away feeling astonished and bedazzled, and The Dispossessed was no exception.


This is a fabulously interesting philosophical work of speculative fiction. Most of it is introspective and explorative through Le Guin's incredible dialogue. The basic premise is that an outsider from a utopian anarchic moon visits a capitalist planet and the culture shock is profound. Shevek cannot understand the people of Urras, and they struggle to understand him.

  Like all walls it was ambiguous, two-faced. What was inside it and what was outside it depended upon which side of it you were on.

It is not preachy, and the cultural criticism moves both ways. While Shevek is appalled that people can be allowed to starve on Urras while others live in luxury, his own society is soon revealed to not be quite the utopia it professes to be. Everyone is equal, in theory, yes, but everyone is poor. And political equality cannot erode social inequalities and the power dynamics that inevitably occur when groups of people live and work together. Some people have more contacts, more friends, and social ostracisation is its own kind of prison sentence.


There are so many thoughtful discussions about the nature of freedom and morality. Deciding which society one would prefer to live in would make a fabulous book club meeting. I also loved that, at one point later on in the book, a character from yet another planet points out that utopia is often about perspective. If you come from an especially destitute planet, a society that seems harsh and unfair to another person may seem like a haven to you.

  “A scientist can pretend that his work isn’t himself, it’s merely the impersonal truth. An artist can’t hide behind the truth. He can’t hide anywhere.”

Even the thought that has gone into the different languages between the two societies is fantastic. For example, there is no word in Shevek's language meaning to "fuck", as in the singular verb, only such plural words as "copulate" because sex on Anarres is never seen as something one person does to another or takes from another, but as something two people do together. Shevek notes that the closest word in Pravic to "fuck" means rape.


I could gush forever about this book and Le Guin in general, but I'll restrain myself. I'll leave this by saying that a lot of the ideological clashes in this book come back to the freedom vs safety argument that has reared its head so many times throughout history, notably within the women's rights movement. As Shevek promises:

  “Freedom is never very safe.”

‘You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.’

Reading The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin was an absolute literary event for me. This book is filled with profound and thought-provoking ideas that gripped me from start to finish. Le Guin's ability to examine and explain complex concepts with such fluidity is truly remarkable. She crafts intricate worlds where her characters and ideas can thrive and interact. The rotating timeline, with past events catching up to the present, adds an extra layer of depth to the narrative and serves as an expression of several of the book's themes.

We follow Shevek, a physicist, as he grows up in an anarchist-style society on the moon Anarres and then travels to the highly capitalist planet Urras. Shevek's struggle to develop a working theory of time that incorporates both cyclical and linear time leads to a juxtaposition of the two societies. He realizes that his ideas can be dangerous in a society that only values profit and power. Through exploring the multiple meanings of the word "revolution," Le Guin delves into society and sociolinguistics, offering insights into freedom, sharing, and the struggle to build a better world.

Le Guin was heavily influenced by taoism and anarchist thinkers such as Lao Tzu, Paul Goodman, and Pyotr Kropotkin. The Dispossessed details a style of taoist anarchism where a revolution cannot rely on political authorities but on the individual's deep engagement with the world around them. Shevek's journey is not only about scientific discovery but also about personal growth and the realization that true freedom comes from a collective society.

The language aspects of the novel are also fascinating. Le Guin draws on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis to show how the structure of a language can influence the native speaker's perceptions and categorization of experiences. The Anarras language of Pravic, with its aversion to singular possessive pronouns, reflects the society's emphasis on communalism and equality. In contrast, the language of Urras, with its class dialects and hierarchical prefixes, reveals the flaws of a capitalist society.

Overall, The Dispossessed is a magnificent work that combines great ideas, sharp writing, and an epic story. It is a book that will make you think, question, and strive for a better world. I cannot recommend it highly enough. 5/5

Ο Θ. Παπακωνσταντίνου once said that anarchy is the most poetic way to live. Le Guin throws her pen into realism and creates a world where society is organized according to anarchist ideas. A society that is the moon of another, purely capitalist one, which in turn is the moon of the first. A society where people do not sing. However, a society that does not sing is not healthy and surely not anarchist. The inhabitants of the planet Anarres, then, have forgotten the song that inspired the revolution and gave them absolute freedom, thus losing their authenticity and, by extension, their essence.

I hear again and again about the detached stance that Le Guin takes in her story and which, to be honest, I didn't see. She presents the society of Anarres as based on the right ideas but having lost along the way precisely those ideas that are the reason for its existence. On the other hand, it is the society of Urras, which is presented as impressive but rotten. Like a pit with a fancy wrapper that hides poverty, meanness and despotism. And what else could a capitalist society be? Whoever believes that a healthy capitalism can exist just has to open a book of elementary microeconomics. Or just look around, of course... The contrast between the two worlds is clear. I don't think it needs to be spelled out for us. Our protagonist, Shevek, feeling that things in his world are not as they should be by definition, dreams of bridging the two worlds, hoping deep down that he will find in Urras the key to the healing of his planet. What he finds, however, is hypocrisy, oppression and illness. In short, true human happiness lies in the ideas of Anarres, if only it could be healed and find again the path that Odo, the leader of the revolution, had traced. But even as things are, the society of Anarres is clearly healthier than that of Urras based on how the author presents it to us. The truth is that I was glad and relieved when I saw that Le Guin is not detached, because I hate the middle way. The cold study without emotion and opinion.

Le Guin's writing balances between realism and lyricism. There is an emotional charge on the pages, sometimes subdued and sometimes fully energetic. The book is full of ideas and aphorisms that make clear the field in which the author moves. She moves, but never with fanaticism. She seems to take a cool, though conscious, stance without exaggerations and unnecessary false emotions. Her character, Shevek, is crafted with great mastery. Far from perfect, with his passions and weaknesses, deeply romantic and doomed by his nature, he seems to be the only remaining true anarchist in this "anarchist" society. With him, the reader also gradually discovers the similarities and correspondences between the two worlds and cannot help but identify with him. His dialogues with the inhabitants of Urras about the position of women, the tendency to flattery and the commercialization of everything (yes, and art ladies and gentlemen), made me feel my adrenaline rush and thirst for anger and shouting. Deep down, however, I appreciated the measured writing and the preservation of the essence in... essential ways.

In short, it is completely understandable to me why it is considered a masterpiece. The reason I give 4 stars and not 5 (and I do this with a heavy heart, believe me) is because something was missing for me at the end. Despite the fact that I always appreciate endings that do not need outbursts and cataclysms and maintain their essence in simple and unadorned peaks, here something let me down. I don't know what I expected. Perhaps I was emotionally charged throughout its duration and it suddenly unloaded me. It is a book that I otherwise consider perfect and I will read it again believing that perhaps then I will appreciate something that I missed at the end.

Edit: Well, then I changed my mind. The first time I didn't even realize that I was reading the last chapter. I was so absorbed. I read it again, knowing this time that there are only a few pages left and yes, I don't think a better ending could have been given. And it doesn't need one at all.