So far, 2020 seems ripped from the pages of a speculative fiction book—and not in a good way. But now, sci-fi and fantasy fans have a little bit of positive news to look forward to.
Library of America, a nonprofit publisher that according to their website is dedicated to "pushing the boundaries of the American literary canon," is publishing volumes of work by both Octavia E. Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin, respectively.
Butler, who passed away in 2006, wrote 12 novels and many short stories. She was the recipient of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards multiple times over, and was the first-ever sci-fi author to be awarded the prestigious MacArthur 'genius grant', a fellowship awarded to individuals who are considered extraordinary visionaries in their field.
Since Butler's sudden death in 2006, her work has proved to be eerily prescient. In the past five years, particular attention has been paid to her Earthseed duology, a near-future vision of the apocalypse featuring an autocratic politician pledging to 'make America great again.'
Butler's work is also starting to receive the attention it deserves in Hollywood, with adaptations of her novels Dawn and Wild Seed both in development at Amazon.
The Library of America Octavia Butler volume will be edited by Nisi Shawl and Gerry Canavan, for a 2021 release. According to Tor.com, the volume will include the novels Fledgling and Kindred, stories from her short story anthology Bloodchild and Other Stories, and other short fiction.
Library of America has also announced four more volumes of work by the great Ursula K. Le Guin, who passed away in 2018. Le Guin authored 20 novels and many short stories, essays, and poems during her prolific career. A Grand Master of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Le Guin won Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards.
A new Library of America Le Guin volume is due October 2020, and will collect the Annals of the Western Shore trilogy. Other planned volumes include a poetry volume, a short story collection, and a novel collection comprising Lavinia, Searoad, The Lathe of Heaven, The Eye of the Heron, and The Beginning Place.
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Featured photo: "The Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin" documentary; Wikimedia Commons; and Photoshop
