240:. A revolt was attempted in 1956 ("The Road East"), but was crushed and followed by reprisals ("A Week in the Country"), and Orsinia remained a repressive police state for several decades. In November 1989, following a series of non-violent protests, the government fell, to be replaced by a transitional régime promising free elections ("Unlocking the Air"). Le Guin did not publish any Orsinian stories dealing with its history since.
156:). Common to all the stories, however, are emotionally moving personal events—often, though not always, romantic—set against the backdrop of much larger political events such as wars and revolutions. Continually reasserted are the right of the individual—sometimes alone, but often in conjunction with others—to his or her own thoughts and emotions, not dictated by society, or convention, or the State.
186:
somewhere in
Central Europe, at different times in the period 1150–1989 (though only two take place before the 20th century). This country, "Orsinia", appears in Le Guin's earliest writings, and was invented by le Guin when she was a young adult learning her craft as a writer. The names
27:
174:-like story "Two Delays on the Northern Line" containing two tangentially linked episodes of uncertain date; and "Unlocking the Air" The last-named story extends Orsinian history to the time of the downfall of Communism in Orsinia – and the rest of Eastern Europe – in the winter of 1989.
251:
and other countries of
Central Europe It is not however, a mere fictionalization of any real country, but rather one imagined with its own unique characteristics and history, distilled from le Guin's personal interpretation and reaction to historical events.
482:"Another thing important to Orsinia's development was that I became aware politically. The first thing I really noticed and took personally, from a political standpoint, was the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1947 [
348:
premise (explored for its personal and political implications) and never explicitly states the place or time where it takes place (at one point "the twentieth century" is spoken of in past tense). Le Guin has written,
375:, the central shopping thoroughfare, rattling key chains and tinkling tiny bells. The jingling of keys, acts symbolizing the opening of hitherto locked doors, has become a common gesture in the wave of
236:("Conversations at Night"), and was thereafter independent for a while. Its fate in World War II is not mentioned, but in 1946 or 1947 it became a satellite state in the
402:"As for Orsinia, I have not been able to go back there since 1990, though I have tried several times. The borders are closed. I don't know what's going on. It worries me."
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999:
1610:
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1006:
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624:
144:
The stories share few links except those derived from the use of a common geographical setting; the only link between characters appears in the stories
496:
Writing about
Orsinia allowed me to talk about a situation that had touched my heart, yet I could distance it, which was very important at that time."
1279:
352:"I don't think 'The Diary of the Rose' takes place in Orsinia, it seems more like South America to me, but the protagonist has an Orsinian name."
662:
266:
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889:
1111:
1513:
467:
Similarities to
Czechoslovakia include that Orsinia is landlocked, and in the 19th century rebelled unsuccessfully against
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1243:
334:" is of uncertain category: Despite characters sharing several names from the Orsinian style (including one,
222:. Formerly an independent kingdom ("The Lady of Moge"), by the 19th century it was a dependency of the
1187:
1318:
1656:
1073:
875:
211:= "bear-like"). Le Guin once said that since Orsinia was her own country it should bear her name.
428:"I have used the history of Poland, though not in science-fiction stories, in 'main stream' [
152:, both of which deal with members of the Fabbre family (whose history is continued in the later story
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1572:
1171:
1272:
1195:
243:
The
Orsinian stories borrow episodes from, and sometimes explicitly refer to, the history of the
830:
776:
363:
A central theme in the story is demonstrators shaking keys to "unlock the air", was seen in the
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698:(rev. ed.). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press. pp. 126–127.
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1128:
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58:
448:, all set in an imaginary central European country in the historical past.
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244:
119:
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The history of
Orsinia follows, in general, that of other countries of
26:
136:, most of them set in the imaginary East European country of Orsinia.
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340:
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850:
Ursula K. le Guin Beyond Genre: Fiction for children and adults
1564:
917:
721:"Persuading us to rejoice and teaching us how to praise: Le Guin's
468:
1303:
420:
248:
825:
Alive and
Writing: Interviews with American authors of the 1980s
771:
Alive and
Writing: Interviews with American authors of the 1980s
958:
625:"Upheaval in the East; from all Czechoslovakia, a joyful noise"
492:. That's when I came of age and realized I had a stake in this
368:
171:
344:) the story abandons the realism of the others, in favor of a
113:
415:"And of course if there's any country Orsinia is like, it's
452:
concerns the
Revolution of 1830, and you will find certain
132:
is a collection of eleven short stories by
American writer
484:
430:
419:. It's puzzled me that everyone says Orsinia is like
647:(Fall 1959). "Folksong from the Montayna Province".
822:
768:
387:himself stood beaming broadly on the balcony of a
164:Additional stories in the cycle include the novel
792:"An Interview with Ursula le Guin A.D. 1988"
1633:
897:
883:
267:The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
170:(1979), set in the Orsinia of the 1820s; the
16:1976 short story collection by Ursula Le Guin
1642:Short story collections by Ursula K. Le Guin
545:(1982) . "Two Delays on the Northern Line".
890:
876:
814:
661:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
25:
852:(1st ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
820:
783:
766:
760:
622:
371:, people flooded into the streets around
309:"Imaginary Countries" (1973, The Harvard
829:. University of Illinois Press. p.
775:. University of Illinois Press. p.
731:. Vol. 5, no. 16. part 3.
1514:Buffalo Gals and Other Animal Presences
718:
693:
675:
643:
581:
561:
541:
1634:
847:
423:, but nobody mentions Czechoslovakia."
218:, particularly those formerly part of
1327:
871:
789:
735:
696:Understanding Ursula K. le Guin
623:Tagliabue, John (12 December 1989).
519:"Ursula K. Le Guin — Orsinian Tales"
438:I have written an historical novel,
391:He lustily jingled a bunch of keys."
1530:Unlocking the Air and Other Stories
719:Bittner, James W. (November 1978).
605:
568:Unlocking the Air and Other Stories
13:
1451:The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
14:
1668:
1237:Vaster than Empires and More Slow
683:. Vol. 15. pp. 247–258.
1603:Dancing at the Edge of the World
1392:Very Far Away from Anywhere Else
159:
840:
712:
687:
669:
474:
461:
444:, and a collection of stories,
407:
394:
289:"A Week in the Country" (1976,
637:
616:
599:
575:
555:
535:
511:
357:
324:
282:"Brothers and Sisters" (1976,
1:
1522:A Fisherman of the Inland Sea
1287:Old Music and the Slave Women
1244:The Day Before the Revolution
651:. Charleston, IL. p. 75.
505:
367:. "Today, at exactly noon in
298:The Western Humanities Review
1647:1976 short story collections
1188:The Word for World Is Forest
317:
195:are both derived from Latin
7:
1319:Annals of the Western Shore
694:Cummins, Elizabeth (1993).
454:parallels to Polish history
255:
10:
1673:
1490:The Wind's Twelve Quarters
286:, Vol. 10, Nos. 1 & 2)
232:). It was involved in the
177:
1595:The Language of the Night
1586:
1556:
1538:The Birthday of the World
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1442:
1375:
1366:
1316:
1296:
1214:
1172:The Left Hand of Darkness
1139:
1126:
1086:
1057:
1030:
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915:
906:
821:McCaffery, Larry (1987).
767:McCaffery, Larry (1987).
681:Western Humanities Review
182:The stories are set in a
139:
111:
99:
91:
83:
75:
65:
54:
46:
36:
24:
1273:Coming of Age in Karhide
1196:Four Ways to Forgiveness
679:(1961). "An die Musik".
338:, which also appears in
276:"Conversations At Night"
729:Science Fiction Studies
610:The Unreal and The Real
1652:Harper & Row books
645:le Guin, Ursula K
365:demonstrations of 1989
296:"An die Musik" (1961,
1611:Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching
1458:The Diary of the Rose
1047:The Books of Earthsea
1014:The Daughter of Odren
986:The Word of Unbinding
848:Cadden, Mike (2005).
587:The Diary of the Rose
332:The Diary of the Rose
150:A Week in the Country
1568:(series) (1988–1999)
1400:The Eye of the Heron
1259:The Matter of Seggri
1007:Darkrose and Diamond
935:A Wizard of Earthsea
377:demonstrations ... .
264:"The Barrow" (1976,
146:Brothers and Sisters
1416:The Beginning Place
1384:The Lathe of Heaven
1266:A Man of the People
1223:The Dowry of Angyar
1112:Earthsea Revisioned
1075:Tales from Earthsea
1039:Tales from Earthsea
743:"Ambiguous utopias"
291:The Little Magazine
284:The Little Magazine
31:First edition cover
21:
1619:Steering the Craft
1424:Always Coming Home
1251:The Shobies' Story
951:The Farthest Shore
943:The Tombs of Atuan
630:The New York Times
607:le Guin, Ursula K.
583:le Guin, Ursula K.
563:le Guin, Ursula K.
543:le Guin, Ursula K.
306:"The Lady of Moge"
19:
1657:Europe in fiction
1629:
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1581:
1362:
1361:
1312:
1311:
1164:City of Illusions
1122:
1121:
993:The Rule of Names
900:Ursula K. Le Guin
677:le Guin, Ursula K
523:Ursula K. Le Guin
381:Jungmanova Square
330:The short story "
184:fictional country
154:Unlocking the Air
134:Ursula K. Le Guin
125:
124:
87:Print (hardcover)
76:Publication place
41:Ursula K. Le Guin
1664:
1557:Children's books
1506:The Compass Rose
1465:The Wife's Story
1373:
1372:
1325:
1324:
1180:The Dispossessed
1148:Rocannon's World
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802:on March 4, 2016
798:. Archived from
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293:, Vol. 9, No. 4)
203:= diminutive of
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67:Publication date
59:Harper & Row
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346:science fiction
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279:"The Road East"
270:, October 1976)
261:"The Fountains"
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234:First World War
224:Austrian Empire
220:Austria-Hungary
207:"female bear";
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417:Czechoslovakia
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389:building ... .
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747:zone-sf.com
494:world ... .
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528:2024-05-28
506:References
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450:Malafrena
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318:Footnotes
238:East bloc
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167:Malafrena
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249:Hungary
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178:Orsinia
120:2331143
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