Rowling can type, but Le Guin can write * Guardian *Composed sparely, shaped by narratives so basic they must be inscribed upon our cells, they read as if they were not written but found, dug out like jewels from rock * Village Voice *A writer of phenomenal power * Observer *

Ursula Le Guin was born in Berkley, California, in 1929, daughter of the writer Theodora Krober and the anthropologist Alfred Krober. Her published work includes twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short stories, three collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation. The Earthsea books have been translated into many languages around the world and are global bestsellers.