Hainish cycle

The Hainish cycle consists of several science fiction - novels and - short stories by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin . It is set in an alternative universe in which humans, starting from the original planet Hain, have colonized various neighboring star systems, including Terra (the earth). After a period of separation, the different "colonies" meet again and form a league of worlds, later the "Ekumen" (from Greek " Oikumene ", "the inhabited / the world"). Basically, the inhabitants of all of these worlds are related, but some display genetic traits, in part the result of genetic experiments by the ancient Hainish. The androgynous inhabitants of the planet Winter become sexually active only once a month and temporarily develop the respective sexual organs.

Unlike in many sci-fi visions of the future, the interstellar spaceships of the league “only” fly near the speed of light ; accordingly, journeys between the planets require little more time than light, although only days pass for the traveler due to the time dilation . Physical contact is therefore rather rare. However, communication between the worlds is faster than light via a device called "Ansible", which Le Guin described as a reinvention in her 1974 novel The Dispossessed (Orig. Title The Dispossessed ). In some stories from the late ekumen period, experiments are made with a timeless displacement of space, known as “churten”; however, this leads to unexpected problems (from "The Shobies' Story", 1990).

In the world of the Hainish cycle, theoretically all people have the possibility of thought communication ( telepathy ); however, this can only be learned with patience and effort.

The author herself has rejected the idea of ​​a coherent Hainish cycle: “The thing is, they aren't a cycle or a saga. They do not form a coherent history. There are some clear connections among them, yes, but also some extremely murky ones. "

The Hainish novels The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) and The Dispossessed (1974) as well as the novel The Word for World Is Forest (1972) and the short story The Day Before the Revolution (1974) received literary awards.

Novels

In order of publication.

• Rocannon's World (1966), Rocannon's World , 1977, ISBN 3-453-30473-X
• Planet of Exile (1966), The Tenth Year , 1978, ISBN 3-453-30511-6
• City of Illusion (1967), City of Illusions , 1979, ISBN 3-453-30590-6
• The Left Hand of Darkness (1969), The Left Hand of Darkness , 1979, ISBN 3-453-16415-6 - Hugo Award and Nebula Award
• The Dispossessed (1974), The Dispossessed , Planet of the Have-Nots , 1976, ISBN 3-937897-20-8 - Hugo Award and Nebula Award
• The Word for World is Forest (1976), Das Wort für Welt ist Wald , 1976, ISBN 3-88619-927-4 - Hugo Award
• Four Ways to Forgiveness (1995)
• The Telling (2000), The Narrators , 2000, ISBN 3-453-18861-6

The first three novels speak of a "League of Worlds"; in The Left Hand of Darkness this league seems to have re-established itself under the aegis of the Hainish as the "Ekumen". The novels The Dispossessed and The Word for World Is Forest set before the plot of Rocannon's World .

Short stories

In the order of publication, specifying the world on which the story takes place.

• "Dowry of the Angyar" (1964) - under the title "Semley's Necklace" in The Wind's Twelve Quarters (1975) - Rokanan
• "Winter's King" (1969) Winter King - in The Wind's Twelve Quarters (1975) - Gethen
• "Vaster Than Empires and More Slow" (1971) - in The Wind's Twelve Quarters (1975) - World 4470
• "The Day Before the Revolution" (1974) - in The Wind's Twelve Quarters (1975) - Urras
• "The Shobies' Story" (1990) - in A Fisherman of the Inland Sea (1994) - Hain, Ve, M-60-340-nolo
• "Dancing to Ganam" (1993) - in A Fisherman of the Inland Sea (1994) - Ganam (Tadkla)
• "Another Story" (1994) - in A Fisherman of the Inland Sea (1994) - O
• "Betrayals" (1994) - in Four Ways to Forgiveness (1995) - Yeowe-Werel
• "Forgiveness Day" (1994) - in Four Ways to Forgiveness (1995) - Yeowe-Werel
• "Unchosen Love" (1994) - in The Birthday of the World (2002) - O
• "A Man of the People" (1995) - in Four Ways to Forgiveness (1995) - Hain, Yeowe-Werel
• "A Woman's Liberation" (1995) - in Four Ways to Forgiveness (1995) - Yeowe-Werel
• "The Matter of Seggri" (1994) - in The Birthday of the World (2002) - Seggri
• "Solitude" (1994) - in The Birthday of the World (2002) - Eleven-soro
• "Coming of Age in Karhide" (1995) - in The Birthday of the World (2002) - Gethen
• "Mountain Ways" (1996) - in The Birthday of the World (2002) - O
• "Old Music and the Slave Women" (1999) - in The Birthday of the World (2002) - Yeowe-Werel

literature

• Hendrik Schulthe: Hainish - The unfamiliar worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin. Ethnology meets science fiction . Saarbrücken: Akad. Verlag Dr. Müller 2008. ISBN 978-3-639-01448-8 .
• Heinz Tschachler: Ursula K. LeGuin: The Left Hand Of Darkness. In: Hartmut Heuermann (Ed.): The science fiction novel in Anglo-American literature. Interpretations. Bagel, Düsseldorf 1986, pp. 295-314. ISBN 3-590-07454-X

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Le Guin, Ursula K .: Answers to a Questionnaire (FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions) . 2007. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 16, 2016. 
2. ↑ Le Guin, Ursula K .: FAQ: In what order should I read the Ekumen, Earthsea, and Catwings books? . 2007. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 16, 2016. 

Web links

• Hainish Cycle Encyclopedia (in English) . Archived from the original on August 29, 2012.
• Official website of Ursula K. Le Guin (in English) .
• Interpretation of the Hainish cycle by Douglas Barbour (in English) .