The Left Hand of Darkness
The Left Hand of Darkness is a 1969 novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. Its treatment of the gender-changing Gethenians was one of the first serious science fictional explorations of how gender roles are or are not associated with physical sex and how both can be different from accepted norms.
On Gethen (aka "Winter"), the human race was biologically altered to be unisexual. Reproduction is accomplished by the people going through a stage called kemmer in which either the male or female sexual hormones are activated in response to the person's companion.
The novel has been criticized for using the masculine pronoun, and showing only "male" activities: politics, hunting, trekking. In later editions Le Guin rewrote the chapters with a neutral pronoun and the default female pronoun.
Awards
The book won the Nebula and Hugo Awards as well as a Retrospective Tiptree Award.
Translations and editions
- 1969
- German/deutsch Winterplanet
- German/deutsch Die linke Hand der Dunkelheit
Adaptations
- The Left Hand of Darkness (theatrical adaptation)
- Planned film adaptation by Phobos Entertainment [1]
- Planned video game adaptation (details?)