New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” (1973)

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” Text Version

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” Audio Version

Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin (born October 21, 1929, Berkeley, California, U.S.—died January 22, 2018, Portland, Oregon) was an American writer best known for tales of science fiction and fantasy imbued with concern for character development and language.

Le Guin, the daughter of distinguished anthropologist A.L. Kroeber and writer Theodora Kroeber, attended Radcliffe College (B.A., 1951) and Columbia University (M.A., 1952). The methods of anthropology influenced her science-fiction stories, which often feature highly detailed descriptions of alien societies. Her first three novels, Rocannon’s World (1966), Planet of Exile (1966), and City of Illusions (1967), introduce beings from the planet Hain, who established human life on habitable planets, including Earth. Although her Earthsea series—A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), The Tombs of Atuan (1971), The Farthest Shore (1972), Tehanu (1990), Tales from Earthsea (2001), and The Other Wind (2001)—was written for children, Le Guin’s skillful writing and acute perceptions attracted a large adult readership. She tapped the young adult market again with her Annals of the Western Shore series, which includes Gifts (2004), Voices (2006), and Powers (2007). Le Guin also wrote a series of books about cats with wings; the series included Catwings Return and Jane on Her Own, both published in 1999. (From Britannica.com)