Ursula K. Le Guin accepts the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters at the 65th National Book Awards on November 19, 2014.
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@AliceDiableaux3 жыл бұрын
She is probably the only famous person I've never met that makes me cry when I think about her not being with us anymore. My favorite writer by a mile and such a fierce, intelligent woman who refuses to back down and instead continued to criticize harmful power structures until the very end.
@SP-ny1fk11 ай бұрын
"When writers die they become books, which is, after all, not too bad an incarnation." - Jorge Borges
@no.1belleandsebastianfanАй бұрын
It brings me comfort to know our lives overlapped for a little bit. But it makes me very sad I never loved her while she was here
@kierachell.9 жыл бұрын
“For we each of us deserve everything, every luxury that was ever piled in the tombs of the dead kings, and we each of us deserve nothing, not a mouthful of bread in hunger. Have we not eaten while another starved? Will you punish us for that? Will you reward us for the virtue of starving while others ate? No man earns punishment, no man earns reward. Free your mind of the idea of deserving, the idea of earning, and you will begin to be able to think.” -The Dispossessed
@AliceDiableaux3 жыл бұрын
This reminds me of something a South or East European politician said during the 2008 crisis, which is that he understood German culture and political and economic policy much more when he found out that in German, they only have 1 word for what is in English 'earn' as in financially earn a wage, and 'deserve' [verdienen], as well as one word for 'debt' as well as 'blame' [Schuld].
@SunjayVideos3 жыл бұрын
@@AliceDiableaux And it's not a coincidence how "Schuld" resembles the English "should"
@Sleepy12ftPanda3 жыл бұрын
"The name of our reward isn't profit. It's name is freedom."
@FolksPress9 жыл бұрын
"The realists of a larger reality." Classic, LeGuin is a champion.
@TickleScratchProd9 жыл бұрын
She is simply brilliant: as a writer, as a thinker, and as a human being.
@deviltrigger65126 жыл бұрын
"A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight. By using words well they strengthen their souls. Story-tellers and poets spend their lives learning that skill and art of using words well. And their words make the souls of their readers stronger, brighter, deeper." I and so many others who's lives you've touched can't thank you enough for your ideas, your imagination, your compassion, your empathy, your wit, your wisdom, your beauty, and your words. May the dragons bear you to the Farthest Shore.
@pseudonumb4 жыл бұрын
Every so often, I come back to this video to remind myself of why I write. Requiescat in pace.
@AlexZorach9 жыл бұрын
This line, I love this so much: "I think hard times are coming when we will be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternative to how we live now, and can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technology, to other ways of being..." and she goes on - yes!
@fredericgermay77769 жыл бұрын
Ah, this is a truly wise person. I love her comments on capitalism - many would've cowered away from tackling such a controversial subject, but not her. She is brave, wise, and quite intelligent. Glad to see her getting such recognition.
@pushista93222 ай бұрын
Right, the US praise themselves for freedom of speech yet censor meaningful criticism of capitalism.
@LatinD8 жыл бұрын
She put tears in my eyes. I owe her so many good days.
@eukmach34062 жыл бұрын
That's so beautiful!
@hgonlywjs.y.6889 жыл бұрын
thanks for you . I 'm from China and I'm very very respect you ...
@gregmorelli48259 жыл бұрын
I've never heard a better definition of "Freedom," all due respect to "Profit," but profit is a game and freedom is a need.
@nellymccausland6 жыл бұрын
To the givers of this beautiful reward, my thanks, from the heart. My family, my agents, my editors, know that my being here is their doing as well as my own, and that the beautiful reward is theirs as much as mine. And I rejoice in accepting it for, and sharing it with, all the writers who’ve been excluded from literature for so long - my fellow authors of fantasy and science fiction, writers of the imagination, who for 50 years have watched the beautiful rewards go to the so-called realists. Hard times are coming, when we’ll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope. We’ll need writers who can remember freedom - poets, visionaries - realists of a larger reality. Right now, we need writers who know the difference between production of a market commodity and the practice of an art. Developing written material to suit sales strategies in order to maximise corporate profit and advertising revenue is not the same thing as responsible book publishing or authorship. Yet I see sales departments given control over editorial. I see my own publishers, in a silly panic of ignorance and greed, charging public libraries for an e-book six or seven times more than they charge customers. We just saw a profiteer try to punish a publisher for disobedience, and writers threatened by corporate fatwa. And I see a lot of us, the producers, who write the books and make the books, accepting this - letting commodity profiteers sell us like deodorant, and tell us what to publish, what to write. Books aren’t just commodities; the profit motive is often in conflict with the aims of art. We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable - but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art. Very often in our art, the art of words. I’ve had a long career as a writer, and a good one, in good company. Here at the end of it, I don’t want to watch American literature get sold down the river. We who live by writing and publishing want and should demand our fair share of the proceeds; but the name of our beautiful reward isn’t profit. Its name is freedom.
@tinacastanares80469 жыл бұрын
thank you so very much, Ursula Le Guin. You are not only "distinguished" and a fine author, but a brave 'Speaker of Truth to Power.'
@FreyjaJ6 жыл бұрын
"Truth is a matter of the imagination." How can I ever thank you for words such as these, which in their simplicity express what words cannot - and yet, metaphorically do - express, Ursula? You were, and will continue to be, a great source of inspiration in so very many ways. Farewell, with gratitude.
@priyashmukherjee9 ай бұрын
Ursula K. Le Guin was a visionary writer whose work transcended genre to explore the big questions of human existence. Her intelligent, compassionate, and imaginative stories have inspired generations of readers and writers alike. Le Guin's work is characterized by its complex characters, thought-provoking plots, and challenging themes. She used her platform to advocate for social justice and environmentalism, and her work continues to resonate with readers today. Thank you, Ursula K. Le Guin, for your gift to the world. *LOVE FROM INDIA*
@NetiNeti259203 ай бұрын
A Bengali using ChatGPT. Come on, you are better than that.
@luckystarlight Жыл бұрын
This speech is so healing. I hope someday it's our reality.
@NowHealing9 жыл бұрын
Thanks, UKLG, for teaching me how to be a "Realist of a Larger Reality." Your writing has been my remote mentor for 30 very odd years, informing my whole life, showing me how to "see a thing whole." Profound thanks to you!
@Hobbyrepubliken6 жыл бұрын
I miss her so much :(
@cuboegamer18876 жыл бұрын
Republiken me too
@ageisadisease4 жыл бұрын
I miss this visionary. I'm glad we still have her words. I hope we always will.
@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods9 жыл бұрын
"What every strong intellect wants to be is a guardian of integrity." - Jacob Bronowski. So inspirational and moving to hear our elders speak with such courageous elegance. May we all hear, understand, and act.
@grzegorzuzdanski52916 жыл бұрын
One of most important and most beloved writers for me. And in this speech you can see her wisdom, courage, sense of humor - everything. Thank you for the ,,Earthsea" masterpiece and all the other great books! Rest in peace, we will miss you .
@feyn58693 жыл бұрын
I am in love with this woman.
@lebarosky9 жыл бұрын
If you are watching this, and haven't read her book, "The Dispossessed," please read it. It is a vision of a revolutionary society where many of the problems of our society do not exist.
@LeifLovebug Жыл бұрын
In a sense yes, but it's also a society where those problems *do* exist still in certain forms and the book shows how people can resist and change still. Anarchism is as much a process and a practice as it is a "utopia", and I think the Dispossessed and the use of Urrasti traditions, history, social systems to contrast with Odo-ism does a phenomenal job of illustrating that.
@sk27719 жыл бұрын
We need more authors speaking out against these sort of things. Especially the e-book issue with libraries. It's ridiculous.
@SaloniMore6 жыл бұрын
RIP Ursula Le Guin, the world will miss you
@toramenor9 жыл бұрын
YES!!! She is everything! One of the best writers ever, and such a profoundly intelligent human being. Wonderful speech.
@planktonne8 жыл бұрын
so inspiring to witness a cool old person
@iactaaleaesto5 жыл бұрын
I miss her so much! This beautiful speech must be got across every day, morning, noon and night by tv and radio!
@hadriscus5 жыл бұрын
Seriously that's equally powerful and inspiring as that speech from Charlie Chaplin in the Dictator.
@Ind3xs6 жыл бұрын
Rip Ursula. Youve been a inspiration.
@BitDummy2 жыл бұрын
"But the name of our beautiful reward is not profit, its name is freedom." I'm not a professional writer though, maybe because of that, I'm totally with you on this. RIP Ursula Le Guin, I hope this world wouldn't forget entirely the values you said.
@julianmurphet6 жыл бұрын
Vale, you great one. You gave us so very much, we'll be centuries getting the full measure of it all. Thank you.
@andrzejwroblewski17459 жыл бұрын
Polish translation: O, Boże... Jak teraz? W porządku? Chyba jestem trochę niższa od pozostałych. Dziękuję, Neil. Do przyznających tę wspaniałą nagrodę: serdecznie wam dziękuję. Także mojej rodzinie, moim agentom, wydawcom... Moja obecność tutaj jest tak samo ich zasługą, jak i moją, a ta wspaniała nagroda należy się im tak samo jak mi. Z radością odbieram tę nagrodę w imieniu swoim i wszystkich pisarzy, których skazano na wieloletnie nieistnienie w literaturze, pisarzy fantasy i science-fiction takich jak ja, twórców świata wyobraźni, którzy przez ostatnie 50 lat musieli patrzeć, jak te wspaniałe nagrody wędrują do tak zwanych... REALISTÓW. Myślę, że nadchodzą ciężkie czasy, w których potrzebne będą głosy pisarzy, umiejących wskazać alternatywy dla tego, jak obecnie żyjemy, potrafiących wyrwać się z okowów naszego motywowanego strachem społeczeństwa oraz jego obsesyjnych technologii, by dostrzec inne drogi życia, a nawet tworzyć twardy grunt, na którym wyrośnie nadzieja. Będziemy potrzebować pisarzy, którzy przypomną sobie, czym jest wolność -- poetów, wizjonerów... realistów wychodzących poza naszą rzeczywistość. Natomiast dziś potrzebni nam są pisarze, którzy wiedzą, jaka jest różnica między produkcją towaru rynkowego a tworzeniem sztuki. Wytwarzania tekstów według kryteriów strategii sprzedażowych, żeby korporacje zarobiły jak najwięcej, a wydatki na reklamę przyniosły zysk, nie można nazwać odpowiedzialną działalnością wydawniczą lub pisarską. Dziękuję wam za ten odważny aplauz. A mimo to cały czas widzę, jak działy sprzedaży sprawują władzę nad działami wydawniczymi. Widzę, jak moi wydawcy gonią w piętkę z chciwości i niewiedzy, kasując biblioteki publiczne za e-booki 6-7 razy tyle, co zwykłych konsumentów. Przed chwilą widzieliśmy, jak jakiś spekulant usiłował ukarać wydawcę za nieposłuszeństwo. Widzieliśmy pisarzy, którym grożono korporacyjnymi fatwami (korporacyjnym dyktatem - to chyba bardziej zrozumiałe - przyp. tłum.). Cały czas widzę, jak my wszyscy -- piszący i wydający książki -- zgadzamy się na ten stan rzeczy. Pozwalamy, żeby spekulanci rynkowi sprzedawali nas jak dezodoranty? Żeby mówili nam, co mamy pisać i wydawać? Cóż... (Z publiczności: kocham panią!) Ja ciebie też, moja droga. Książki... wiecie co, to nie są zwykłe towary. Motyw zysku często kłóci się z celami, jakie ma do osiągnięcia sztuka. Żyjemy w kapitalizmie. Jego władza nad nami nie podlega dyskusji. Tak samo, jak kiedyś boskie prawo królów. (Śmiech publiczności). Każda istota ludzka może się przeciwstawić władzy, jaką ma nad nią drugi człowiek i zmienić ten stan rzeczy. Sprzeciw i zmiana często mają swój początek w sztuce, a bardzo często właśnie w naszej -- sztuce słowa. Mam za sobą długą, udaną karierę. Wśród zacnych ludzi. Pod jej koniec nie chcę, by literatura amerykańska stała się przedmiotem kupczenia. My, którzy żyjemy z działalności pisarskiej i wydawniczej, chcemy i powinniśmy się domagać uczciwego udziału w zyskach. Jednak najwspanialsza nagroda za naszą działalność to nie zysk. Jest nią WOLNOŚĆ.
@odontablue76716 жыл бұрын
Roman Kleszcz Dzięki :)
@robertpalusinski32856 жыл бұрын
dzieki!
@belovedwoman33983 жыл бұрын
What an amazing and prophetically accurate speech. #AmericanLiteratureEqualsFreedom Thank you Ursula K. Le Guin for sharing your gift with the world! HAGD 🙏
@authorjessowen9 жыл бұрын
I would give almost anything to meet this woman.
@schippai33086 жыл бұрын
Jess E. Owen have you? Hope you did unlike me.
@Moriartyisreal6 жыл бұрын
Rest in prose, beautiful soul.
@therickiestrick44942 жыл бұрын
I legitimately can't think about her being gone without getting teary eyed. The way she creates a story is simply indescribable
@manthasagittarius17 жыл бұрын
October 21, 2016 Happy Birthday, Ursula! I send the love of a reader to a favorite author for 40 years. My copy of "Words Are My Matter" arrived a few days ago. Looking forward to reading with fall light and a bowl of apples.
@thembluetube8 жыл бұрын
If Borges was my Granddad Ursula would have to be my Grandma.
@heatheranne55166 жыл бұрын
With all our love you will be missed
@jessicahagan9 жыл бұрын
Ursula, your books were one of the reasons I came to Earth. In 1974 I peeked in at the world and said, "Oh, Ursula is there. I'll go ahead then. All will be well." It's been tough, but easier since I found you. Deep love, Jess Hagan
@TheRealZanryu7 ай бұрын
I wish I had been able to meet her. She was a treasure, but thankfully she left us with many great works of literature.
@michaeliona8319 Жыл бұрын
The notable difference within 24 seconds ... the applause @2:20 and then at @2:44 where Le Guin starts to get a bit more specific about what she's really getting at.
@emanuelcarvalho8510 Жыл бұрын
very well noticed !!!
@dresdenjackshula49404 жыл бұрын
Get it Ursula. Go ahead with you bad self gurl
@jamenta29 жыл бұрын
Amazing. Even in her twilight she speaks with much grace and force.
@ThousandSunAnger5 жыл бұрын
She was never in twilight. She was and always will be a rising sun.
@AliceDiableaux3 жыл бұрын
@@ThousandSunAnger Well said.
@DC-en8vm9 жыл бұрын
Thank all the gods for Ursula le Guin. Writer of worlds and bringer of true myth. Wonderful.
@kaworu8766 жыл бұрын
We will miss her so, so, much. RIP
@katthernandez24369 жыл бұрын
I am so inspired by this speech! wow-
@magnusormasen40839 ай бұрын
My favourite fanta sy-writer and a person of great integrity. May she rest in peace❤️
@Wladislav6 жыл бұрын
You will be missed, Ms. Le Guin.
@eges727 ай бұрын
One of the bravest novelists known to mankind. Being a sci-fi novelist and having the courage to criticize the current economic system at the same time is something most artists cowardly avoid. May she rest in peace.
@kathleenannewinston15437 жыл бұрын
Love this writer, thank you for all the wonderful books you have written and the joy I had in reading them
@lucas39182 жыл бұрын
The quote is at 4:10
@Hobbyrepubliken4 жыл бұрын
Thank your for everything comrade
@chokingmessiah9 жыл бұрын
Bring out the heavy guns, writers. Ursula just urged us on, and she should have brought the best out of you, if not tears. Bravo. Beautiful. Wonderful.
@justgivemethetruth9 жыл бұрын
In the context of awards ceremonies and artistic get-togethers these kinds of fancy words always go over well as they pander to the mystery and complexity of human life even as how every day we willingly and eagerly stuff ourselves into the formulas and technologies that make life easier by mechanizing ourselves to ourselves.
@wilsonmicallo9 жыл бұрын
best writer ever
@tommarello013 жыл бұрын
Many thanks to Ursula, and Maria Popova for pointing me this way.
@billblakely17089 жыл бұрын
A great writer.
@maryhollowell87396 жыл бұрын
thanks to Ursula Le Guin
@jdeleskie5 жыл бұрын
I miss her too.
@SarahRheaWerner8 жыл бұрын
Ursula Le Guin is my hero.
@Fourthson1009 жыл бұрын
Well said! Well said, indeed! Her speech is very much akin to my own opinions on this matter. In SF many themes revolve around "existential threats' (rouge AI, asteriod impacts, zombies, etc) but Le Guin mentions the one overriding threat however. Profit Motive. The desire for profit at any cost will destroy us long before any war, plague or pestilence!
@verilybitchie Жыл бұрын
Fucking amazing.
@501189soas9 жыл бұрын
we are in good company when that company is le guin.
@polinamcguire5067 Жыл бұрын
Too relevant right now with the current Writers Strike. A prolific author, who is sorely missed today.
@rebeccalloyd22569 жыл бұрын
she's said some really important things here for writers, let's hope some younger writers take up the ideas.
@mhrist6 жыл бұрын
whenever i see something like this i always wonder who are the 89 people that thumbed it down...
@Fourthson1006 жыл бұрын
Resistance is NOT futile!!
@kennychaffin45789 жыл бұрын
Excellent. I love her!
@torbjornlowendahl63464 жыл бұрын
Brilliant!
@PoetryETrain9 жыл бұрын
Applause!
@jparkhku9 жыл бұрын
Truly inspiring
@beechersbrookpublishing9 жыл бұрын
Ursula Le Guin is fantastic.
@jneilschulman9 жыл бұрын
As a producer of the written art I depend on those who skill is marketing to reach my audience or my work is stillborn.
@VladSvoka9 жыл бұрын
Similar if not same problems are in all branches of art.
@vasylshcherban48259 жыл бұрын
Respect Ursula. Thanks for sharing Vovkin
@emilyrose55106 жыл бұрын
she's adorable
@ajkrebs84676 жыл бұрын
Please add captions!
@pousadadonamarica9 жыл бұрын
Love this woman.
@RantingMonkey8 жыл бұрын
Ya gotta love her taking up for the publishers. No one has exploited writers more than the traditional publishing industry. But they signed her checks so....
@sirjohnsteed25736 жыл бұрын
Did you mean to say "speaking up to the publishers"? That's what she did here.
@OutlawSoul6 жыл бұрын
did you listen to the talk? She blatantly says her own publishers profit off bullshit eBook prices at the local library. 3:00. What an effective troll you are.
@geoffplayoflight8 жыл бұрын
Here's one of those stories, using imagination along with an unflinching take on where we are today in terms of environmental relations. It's called "City Living, Nature Calling" and is an 'ecomythic' documentary for our times: see it at startsomegood.com/clnc
@oppressivefistoftyranny13956 жыл бұрын
RIP
@KCQUANN8 жыл бұрын
Inspiring
@Hermit_mouse2 жыл бұрын
Click Click, BOOM!
@tonycardinal62489 жыл бұрын
CAN YOU SAY "FREEDOM OF THE PRESS"??? NOT JUST THE NEWS MEDIA, BUT ANY PRINTED OR VOCAL COMMUNICATION, UP TO AND INCLUDING LETTERS TO THE EDITOR!!!
@drojus6 жыл бұрын
RIP 😭😭😭
@alyssabueno61288 жыл бұрын
Where was this held?
@basilrose2 жыл бұрын
The most important writer of our time deserved much better commemoration than what came from that doofus at the end
@hy42956 жыл бұрын
Helal, Ursula Ana !
@wetlazer24439 жыл бұрын
I just finished writing my first book in Amazon Kindle. In truth I would call it a helpful guide about stress management with a free guided relaxation in the booklet, in that sense not a 'real book', but a self-help book. The thing is I worked on this for a long time. I do not consider myself a great writer, but I wanted to make something that would help people, something I would not be ashamed of, so I put a lot of effort into it. Recently I purchased a course that talks about writing Kindle books and how to describe and market them. I was greatly angered when I picked up some of the advice in this course. It said to create several pseudonyms, and to write under these names. It also said to have all of the writing done by outsourcing it and to 'write' somewhere around five books per month, which are only ten pages in length. Even if the five books are only ten or so pages on length and even if you are selling them for five bucks or less, almost no one can proofread and correct that many books per month and keep the content high quality and relative to the topic. Which is to say this method is an unethical way to rip people off and it poisons the well for real writers.
@user-cf1rh7nv9s9 ай бұрын
01:34 Rejoicing in accepting a beautiful reward for all excluded fantasy and science fiction writers 03:08 The importance of writers who can see alternatives and imagine hope 03:55 Publishers charging libraries more for e-books than customers 05:29 The profit motive is often in conflict with the aims of art. 06:09 The speaker talks about the importance of freedom and thanks the audience Crafted by Merlin AI.
@patrickmccormack43184 жыл бұрын
Her speech gets me things of Jerry Mcquire. During the career of Ursula Le Guin, did she suffer the disciple of doing the "good' things? Show me the Money - Jerry Maguire kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fKyilMpp0dKcZas.html Careful as "we" will, careful as "we go.
@melinadar67089 жыл бұрын
@samcrocker3993 жыл бұрын
hi Riley 4:10
@j.k.15503 жыл бұрын
Damn she’s a monster. Get this socialist off the podium.... /sarcasm.
@Randsurfer9 жыл бұрын
Being an independent author is one of the purest forms of Capitalism. Capitalism is the economic system that provides the greatest freedom and liberty. The main pillars being: You are free to pursue any work you choose, and you enjoy the benefits of your labor and production.
@jacquessayang9 жыл бұрын
Randsurfer No.
@Randsurfer9 жыл бұрын
jacquessayang That is the best endorsement of my point. Thanks.
@Randsurfer9 жыл бұрын
jacquessayang Someone must have brainwashed you that capitalism = evil. Capitalism is an economic system and a mode of production in which trade, industries, and the means of production are largely or entirely privately owned. (Wikipedia, for what it's worth) That is the system under which an independent author thrives. Under any other system, the author has to answer to "the man". But go ahead and tell me, under what other economic/political system would an author like LeGuin thrive as well?
@athenassigil58206 жыл бұрын
Randsurfer Agreed! I loved Le Guin, but c'mon, capitalism, though flawed, is the best system.
@BollocksUtwat6 жыл бұрын
*That is the system under which an independent author thrives. Under any other system, the author has to answer to "the man".* In a system where the publisher owns the means of production, and therefore publication, the author has to answer to the man. How you call this free and not answering to someone else is beyond me. I rarely see people call capitalism freedom without limits to do whatever you want. They usually talk about merit, and earning, and the right to control all this stuff through merit and earning and whatever. There is quite simply no way to rationalize how authors having to alter their work to suit the publisher isn't 'answering to the man'. Further your comments are so generic they like most fawning apologists for capitalism don't actually address the criticisms being made, ie. how the profit motive corrupts the artistic motive. There is no answer to that because you have none, you just talk about freedom in some rote way because you don't analyze it in specific or detail, you just know it as some rubric.
@Sir_of_Sirs9 жыл бұрын
This speech is nothing more than postmodern rubbish.
@applejackpanic58959 жыл бұрын
eat shit
@teddybear28403 жыл бұрын
You can do your art as free as you want but don't use capitalist money. Use thier money play by thier rules.. its simple..
@CrimeEnjoyer2 жыл бұрын
This means nothing among capitalist monopoly.
@karlschuch56846 жыл бұрын
so she thinks selling books is not subject to market pressures - what a dope