The Left Hand of Darkness is a science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, published in 1969. It became immensely popular, winning both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and establishing Le Guin as a major author of science fiction. The novel tells the story of Genly Ai, an Earthman sent to the planet of Gethen as an envoy of the Ekumen. He is stymied by the cultural barrier created by the Gethenians' lack of a fixed gender identity. The novel is part of the Hainish Cycle, a series of novels and short stories by Le Guin set in the fictional Hainish universe, which she introduced in 1964. The book was among the first published in the feminist science fiction genre. The effect of sex and gender on culture and society, a major theme throughout the novel, touched off a feminist debate when it was first published. Left Hand has been reprinted more than 30 times, and has received a highly positive response from reviewers. Widely influential, it has been described as a seminal work in the genre of science fiction. In 1987 the literary critic Harold Bloom said, "Le Guin, more than Tolkien, has raised fantasy into high literature, for our time".
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Left_Hand_of_Darkness
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1641:
Irish Catholic gentry in Ulster tried to seize control of Dublin Castle, the seat of English rule in Ireland, to force concessions to Catholics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Rebellion_of_1641
1812:
General Claude François de Malet began a conspiracy to overthrow Napoleon, claiming that the Emperor died in Russia and that he was now the commandant of Paris. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malet_coup_of_1812
1942:
World War II: Japanese forces began their ill-fated attempt to recapture Henderson Field from the Americans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Henderson_Field
1983:
Lebanese Civil War: Suicide bombers destroyed two barracks in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. servicemen and 58 French paratroopers of the international peacekeeping force. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombing
2002:
Chechen separatists seized a crowded theater in Moscow, taking approximately 700 patrons and performers hostage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_theater_hostage_crisis
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
atom: 1. (now historical) The smallest medieval unit of time, equal to fifteen ninety-fourths of a second. [from 10th c.] 2. (history of science) A hypothetical particle posited by Greek philosophers as an ultimate and indivisible component of matter. [from 15th c.] 3. (chemistry, physics) The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons. [from 16th c.] 4. (now generally regarded figuratively) The smallest, indivisible constituent part or unit of something. [from 17th c.] 5. A mote of dust in a sunbeam. [from 16th c.] 6. A very small amount (of something immaterial); a whit. [from 17th c.] 7. (computing, programming, Lisp) An individual number or symbol, as opposed to a list; a scalar value. 8. (mathematics) A non-zero member of a Boolean algebra that is not a union of any other elements. [from 20th c.] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/atom
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
If we are to be a great democracy, we must all take an active role in our democracy. We must do democracy. That goes far beyond simply casting your vote. We must all actively champion the causes that ensure the common good. --Martin Luther King III https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_III
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