The Birthday of the World

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The Birthday of the World is a collection of short fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin, and first published in 2003 by Gollancz (Britain) an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group, with ISBN 0-575-07539-2. All of the stories except "Paradises Lost" were previously published individually elsewhere.

The collection was also published in New York by Perennial in 2003 with ISBN 0-06-050906-6.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Contents

  • Foreword
  • "Coming of Age in Karhide" - 1995 in New Legends ed. G. Bear. Takes place on Gethen the planet of The Left Hand of Darkness which is part of the Ekumen.
A young Karhidian loses "her" virginity during "her" first phase of coming into heat, called a "kemmer". Sexy. The gender is in quotations because this individual only becomes female during the mating phase, and returns to neutral/hermaphroditic, like all Karhidians do, after the phase.
  • "The Matter of Seggri" - Spring 1994 in Crank!. Takes place on Seggri of the Ekumen.
The discovery, exploration, and ultimate alteration of a planet characterised by extreme gender segregation.
  • "Unchosen Love" - Fall 1994 in Amazing Stories. Takes place on O of the Ekumen which is the same planet as the title story of "A Fisherman of the Inland Sea".
About a meek man and meek woman, who are in relationships with strong-willed man and woman respectively. The meek find solace in each other's company, an unexpected relationship catalyzed by a mysterious interloper.
  • "Mountain Ways" - August 1996 in Asimov's Science Fiction. Also on O.
Two women who are in love, but of the same moiety, and thus unable decide to enter into a marriage, decide to deceive the other parties to a marriage by disguising one of the women as a man. Complex and beautiful story.
  • "Solitude" - December 1994 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Takes place on Eleven-Soro on the fringes of the Ekumen.
  • "Old Music and the Slave Women" - 1999 in Far Horizons ed. R. Silverberg. Another story in the same dual-planet system of Werel and Yeowe as "Four Ways to Forgiveness" of the Ekumen.
  • "The Birthday of the World" - June 2000 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. May or may not be of the Ekumen
  • "Paradises Lost" - First publication. Not of the Ekumen.
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