The Dispossessed

The Dispossessed is a novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. It is her most explicitly anarchist work of fiction. The book is set on the anarchist planet Anarres and it's parent planet Urras. The protagonist of this novel is Shevek, a physicist from Anarres. Although the book "begins" in the middle of Shevek's story, when he is the first Anarres native to leave Anarres for Urras, it follows him from his childhood, through the development of his career and his marriage and fatherhood, providing a great deal of insight into the Odonian (anarchist) society of Anarres.

Awards

• 1975 Hugo Award, Best Novel
• 1974 Nebula Award, Best Novel
• Runner-up in for the John W. Campbell Award for best science fiction novel of the year.

Further reading

• Study guide
• UMich LHOD page
• Book discussion group on feministSF mailing list (April 2002)

Editions

• 1974: Harper & Row, New York