La mano izquierda de la oscuridad

by Ursula K. Le Guin, Francisco Abelenda

mass market paperback, 336 pages

Spanish language

Published Jan. 1, 1901 by Booket.

ISBN:: 978-84-450-7678-1

(12 reviews)

[Comment by Kim Stanley Robinson, on The Guardian's website][1]: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin (1969)

> One of my favorite novels is The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K Le Guin. For more than 40 years I've been recommending this book to people who want to try science fiction for the first time, and it still serves very well for that. One of the things I like about it is how clearly it demonstrates that science fiction can have not only the usual virtues and pleasures of the novel, but also the startling and transformative power of the thought experiment.

[Comment by Kim Stanley Robinson, on The Guardian's website][1]: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin (1969)

> In this case, the thought experiment is quickly revealed: "The king was pregnant," the book tells us early on, and after that we learn more and more about this planet named Winter, stuck in an ice age, where the humans are most of the time neither male nor female, but with the potential to become either. The man from Earth investigating this situation has a lot to learn, and so do we; and we learn it in the course of a thrilling adventure story, including a great "crossing of the ice". Le Guin's language is clear and clean, and has within it both the anthropological mindset of her father Alfred Kroeber, and the poetry of stories as magical things that her mother Theodora Kroeber found in native American tales. This worldly wisdom applied to the romance of other planets, and to human nature at its deepest, is Le Guin's particular gift to us, and something science fiction will always be proud of. Try it and see – you will never think about people in quite the same way again.

[1]: www.theguardian.com/books/2011/may/14/science-fiction-authors-choice

45 editions

Carlos Cámara reviewed The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Good ideas, bad story

2 stars

Content warning It contains spoilers

After having enjoyed a lot The Dispossessed, and having read so many great reviews about this book, I cannot stop but feeling disappointed or under the impression that I failed to understand it or it was not the right time for me to read it.

I must recognize the originality of describing a whole hermaphrodite species in a forever frozen world, with their own culture and social organisation (something I enjoyed). But I felt that the story that was promised was weak, full of Deus ex machinas, unnecessary interruptions, and not even as strong and moving as I had imagined. Is the bonding between Therem and Genly as strong as suggested or is it merely survival? Are their beliefs about the other so shaken and deconstructed as suggested or were simply weak prejudices broken by the forced coexistence?

The fact that I found the narrative unconsistent and unnecessarily complex, didn't help at all. Genli's trip is littered with plenty of complex concepts that are not fully developed, (I am still unsure about what the Shifgrethor is -I had to look at Wikipedia and stack exchange), legends, explanations about calendars or chapters written from somedody else's perspective, without a clear criteria or rhythm on when those interludes are added. But probably, what I found most disappointing was the constant mentions to the how different gethenian culture, society and cosmogony are due to their hermaphroditism, but IMHO, it is never not clearly exemplified in anything specific, not to mention the missed opportunity of using they/them pronouns (albeit I'm aware that that might not be that commonplace back in 1969, and probably editors thought that books had to had male characters to be sold).

Nickbwalking@ramblingreaders.org reviewed The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Review of 'The Left Hand of Darkness' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

It's a classic for a reason. It's not an easy read, but it's one of the most thought-provoking pieces of SF I've read. Ideas and scenes that will occupy my mind for a long time.

Miguel Ocaña reviewed La Mano Izquierda de La Oscuridad by Ursula K. Le Guin

Review of 'La Mano Izquierda de La Oscuridad' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Me encanta lo que es capaz de contar esta señora en pocas páginas, como construye mundos, razas, lenguaje, caracteres e imagina sociedades diferentes, con sus propios dichos, leyendas, cuentos, sistemas de medida, sistemas temporales...
Me explota la cabeza siendo capaz de imaginar un algo mucho más grande (el Ecumen) que va descubriendo en otros libros. En 1969 esta señora está hablando de una sociedad completamente bisexual (con otras peculiaridades).
Y cambiando de personajes, de puntos de vista, y tejiendo historias increíbles. En este libro sentirás frío aunque lo leas en pleno agosto.

LaiaRMingote reviewed La Mano Izquierda de La Oscuridad by Ursula K. Le Guin

Review of 'La Mano Izquierda de La Oscuridad' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

La primera parte de la historia tiene visos de etnografía, que te permite conocer un mundo distante y diferente a través de dos de sus culturas. El protagonista hace una crónica de sus primeros años en Gueden donde explica costumbres, formas de relacionarse y divaga sobre el posible impacto de que exista un único género en el desarrollo social -comparando dos países similares y, a la vez, muy diferentes. Incluye interesantes reflexiones filosóficas sobre la entropía, el nacionalismo, la bondad y la amistad entre humanos.

La historia personal del protagonista se desarrolla a medida que conoce ambas culturas y se ve atrapado en las intrigas políticas. Así llegamos a una segunda parte donde el viaje físico refleja el emocional y vital. Esta parte es densa, lenta, dolorosa. Le Guin describe a la perfección la angustia y la esperanza de los personajes.

Una buena historia de ciencia ficción, muy muy recomendada. …

exosferablog reviewed La Mano Izquierda de La Oscuridad by Ursula K. Le Guin

Review of 'La Mano Izquierda de La Oscuridad' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Una reflexión sobre las relaciones humanas, el género, el poder, el nacionalismo, la guerra y la política dentro de un marco de ciencia ficción, en un planeta inhóspito y frío, que invita al recogimiento. Los mensajes que deja el libro son como el frío de Invierno, se filtran hasta los huesos. Una vez lo empecé no pude parar. Cualquiera diría que es de 1969, con cuestionamientos y reflexiones muy actuales.