''The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction'' is a collection of essays written by Ursula K. Le Guin and edited by Susan Wood. It was first published in 1979 and published in a revised edition in 1992. The essays discuss various aspects of the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

genres, as well as Le Guin's own writing process. The 24 essay selections come from a variety of sources, including journals, book introductions, and award-acceptance speeches. The title comes from Le Guin's description of fantasy literature: "We like to think we live in daylight, but half the world is always dark; and fantasy, like poetry, speaks the language of the night." Well known as a fantasy and science fiction author by 1979, Le Guin's criticism was relatively difficult to find prior to the publication of this collection. ''The Language of the Night'' contains "the most important critical statements e Guinhas made to date",Children's Literature Association Quarterly
Volume 4, Number 2, Summer 1979. p 19-21. addressing topics such as Americans' attitudes towards fantasy fiction, the strengths and weaknesses of science fiction, and the qualities of children's literature. She also discusses the background of her major works such as ''

A Wizard of Earthsea ''A Wizard of Earthsea'' is a fantasy novel written by American author Ursula K. Le Guin and first published by the small press Parnassus in 1968. It is regarded as a classic of children's literature and of fantasy, within which it is widely in ...

'' and ''

The Left Hand of Darkness ''The Left Hand of Darkness'' is a science fiction novel by U.S. writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Published in 1969, it became immensely popular, and established Le Guin's status as a major author of science fiction. The novel is set in the fiction ...

''. However, some critics noted that the selections in ''The Language of the Night'' vary in significance, with "both substantial and slender contributions to science-fiction journals and symposiums."Book review
''Kirkus Reviews''. April 1979 issue. In the September–October 1989 edition of ''

Games International ''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 19 ...

'' (Issue #9), Paul Mason called this "a classic book that should be on every fantasy gamer's shelves." Patrick Curry, in the 2014 ''

A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien ''A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien'' is a 2014 book edited by Stuart D. Lee and published by Wiley-Blackwell. It is a part of the ''Blackwell Companions to Literature'' series, which have been described as prestigious reference works, and features ...

'', wrote that Le Guin's reflections in the essays "remain devergreen", handling contentious issues such as whether fantasy is escapist, the subtlety of the character portraits in ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...

'', and that work's handling of the nature of evil. At the 1980

Hugo Awards The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...

, the collection was a nominee in the newly created Best Related Non-Fiction Book category.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Language of the Night, The 1979 non-fiction books American essay collections Works by Ursula K. Le Guin