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The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia
 
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The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia (Mass Market Paperback)

by Ursula K. Le Guin (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
Price: £4.85 + £0.03 sourcing fee & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: HarperPaperbacks; Reprint edition (31 Dec 1994)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0061054887
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061054884
  • Product Dimensions: 16.5 x 10.2 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 225,076 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Synopsis

Unwilling to accept that his anarchist world must be separated from the rest of the civilized universe, Shevek, a brilliant physicist, risks his life by traveling to the utopian mother planet of Urras. Reissue.

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Customer Reviews

28 Reviews
5 star:
 (18)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An fascinating book., 20 Feb 1998
By A Customer
This is my favorite Le Guin book. As much a political science book as science fiction.Also one one of the feew utopias written after WW2. The title refers to an anarchist society that lives on the moon who do not have possesion. Far from one sided this book shows the problems of both societies through the eyes of Shevek,an Anarres Physicst. Shevek has problems with both his society because the descendents have lost their political idealism and with Urras' because the greed and corruption of it's captialism . A complex work of thought with no easy to find solutions. And a good introduction to the theories of Anarchism.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest books ever written, 25 May 1998
By A Customer
Do books really change people's lives? I've read this book many times over the last decade or so, and it never stops speaking to something deep inside me (and my wife, who I knew I had to marry when she said this was her favorite book). Ursula LeGuin isn't for everyone--you have to be willing to think, and care, and not just space out and be "entertained." But for those who want that, who are desperate for that, and like a great story on top of it, well there's no one like Ursula. And there's no Ursula book like The Dispossesed. If you haven't read it by the year 2001, you kind of missed the boat on 20th century literature. Oh, by the way, the book is about anarchy and love and stuff like that. It's about the REAL Utopia, the one that will never happen.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Can a world be based on dispossession?, 27 Jun 1999
By A Customer
This novel won the 1974 Nebula Award and the 1975 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel of the year as well as the 1975 Jupiter Award. It is centered about a complex society that is founded upon anarchism: an ordered society without laws. The "dispossessed" in the novel are the millions of the inhabitants of Anarres, an arid moon of the lush planet of Urras. Two centuries earlier, the followers of an anarchist philosopher had fled Urras to forge a new society, a society that has done away with the concept of "possession." There is no property on Anarres, no money, no marriage (I hope that Le Guin is not meaning to suggest that marriage is a possession by one or other of the participants), no government, no laws, no prisons. Even the language reflects this attitude. Possessive pronouns are even avoided. Instead of saying "My hand hurts," one would say "The hand hurts me." A mathematical genius of Anarres, who has made a conceptual breakthrough that allows for the development of the ansible (an instantaneous communication device that other science fiction authors will begin to use), travels to Urras. He had been having difficulties with the philosophical ideas of his home world but the social structure of Urras baffles him. The cultures of both world cause problems for the protagonist Shevik. This is one of the best science fiction novels of all time. However, I'm surprised at some of the comments by earlier reviewers. It appears that some reviewers are really offended at more cerebral type of novels. I gave this book five stars. And, I also gave "A Princess of Mars" five stars. Both books have their place within the genre. Perhaps we should be not so narrow in our tastes so that we exclude valuable works. Both of these novels should be read by any serious student of science fiction literature.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars about the way we think of utopia
As indicated by the subtitle of the text, Le Guin's work seems to be more about the concept of utopia and how we should imagine it after the horrors produced by previous, dare I... Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2001 by ta9760@hotmail.com

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings about this one
I read this because I wanted to try some science fiction and this was one of the most recommended. I came away not really knowing what I thought. Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Why isn't this more popular than Left Hand?
Ditto to all the five-star comments. I read this book after reading Left Hand for a class assignment and flipped-out over it (better than Left Hand - is that possible? Read more
Published on 7 Sep 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best books ever written.
i regard this as one of my favourites ever. a thoughtful and enjoyable plot filled with conflicts between the reflective scientist shevek, and the social functions of... Read more
Published on 28 Aug 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant physicist ponders individualism/collectivism
Quite conceivably the best SF novel ever written - if that phrase means anything at all. There are two different achievements in this novel. Read more
Published on 17 Jun 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Comparison Of Socialism With Capitalism
This book shows both the social and personal effects of both types of government organization. It also tells the tale of a naive and brainy rocket scientist named Shevek whose... Read more
Published on 14 Jun 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating philosophical concepts
This book made a profound impression on me when I first read it 20 years ago, and still is one of my favourites of all times. Read more
Published on 13 Jun 1999

2.0 out of 5 stars Social studies disguised as sci-fi.
This book should be of great interest to anyone studying (or having an interest in) anthropology and other social sciences and having an interest in social sci-fi. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars A dire & dull warning.
This is a truly loathsome world that was created here. It requires people be so self disciplined that they're a hair shy of psychosis. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing and Thought Provoking!
This is an incredible book and I reccommend it to any thoughtful individual out there. Read it with an open mind.
Published on 17 Feb 1999

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