It’s an evening of January. I sit comfortably at my desk, writing and rewriting the few paragraphs I’ve been able to put together. Suddenly, the email notification pops out. I rub my eyes. Is what I’ve just read true? It takes some seconds to me to realise that I’m already staring at the newsletter I received. My lower lip drops. I read the headline. I reread the headline because I’m not sure if what I read is real.
Ursula Le Guin died. Sadness fills my heart. The author of the most beautiful science fiction book I’ve ever read passed away. She was eighty-eight years old. It seems yesterday that I was flipping the pages of “The left hand of the darkness”. I discovered that strange world in which was continuously winter. That planet populated by living beings who had the same gender. It was revolutionary. I was revolutionised. Ursula Le Guin pointed out clearly and smoothly the biggest flaws of our society. Her simplicity hit me without hurting. She made me think. She made me brood on the deepest and most savage fear of the humanity: the fear of them who are different. There’s no need to be scared of the diversity; it is part of our life. Diversity makes us richer and richer; it allows us to grow and mature; it renders us better and better; it enriches us. When Genly Ai came to Gethen, he was scared. He didn’t know anything about that unusual planet. He didn’t know anything about the strange beings living in that world. Even though at beginning he was extremely diffident and embarrassed by those creatures, he learnt to understand them and live peacefully along. Tolerance and respect became fundamental and vital values. In her stories, Ursula Le Guin taught us these values: the respect of the others, the equality among living beings, the necessity of cooperation, and the uselessness of the hostilities. I stare at the screen, perusing and observing the endless messages that writers and authors are frenetically pouring down on the internet. I owe you, Ursula, a thanking. Thank you for having taken me by hand and sweetly accompanied in a world unknown to me. You made me think, dream, upset, laugh and hope. You made me travel to a world in which the future was better and liveable. Your stories and ideals will live with me forever. LINK: The New York Times BBC CNN The Guardian Salon
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