Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula Kroeber Le Guin was an influential American author whose works explored such themes as race, gender, sexuality, coming of age, and political structures.

Le Guin was born on Oct. 21, 1929, in Berkeley, California. She earned a B.A. Radcliffe College and an M.A. from Columbia University. She began work toward a Ph.D. in French and Italian Renaissance literature but stopped after marrying in 1953. She began writing in the late 1950s and continued for nearly 60 years. Le Guin received numerous awards for her work and was the first woman to win both the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novel.

Le Guin died on Jan. 22, 2018.