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{{Short description|Fantasy fiction series (1968–2001) by Ursula K. Le Guin}}
{{about|the books|other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox book series
| name = Earthsea 
| books = {{plainlist|
* ''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]''
* ''[[The Tombs of Atuan]]''
* ''[[The Farthest Shore]]''
* ''[[Tehanu]]''
* ''[[Tales from Earthsea]]'' (collection)
* ''[[The Other Wind]]''
}}
| image = The Books of Earthsea.jpg
| caption = Cover of ''The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition'', with art by Charles Vess.
| author = [[Ursula K. Le Guin]]
| illustrator = Pauline Ellison<br />Ruth Robbins<br />[[Anne Yvonne Gilbert]]<br />Gail Garraty<br />Margaret Chodos-Irvine<br />Kelly Nelson<br />Marion Wood Kolisch<br />[[Charles Vess]]<br />[[Cliff Nielsen]]
| country = United States
| genre = [[Fantasy literature|Fantasy]], [[young adult fiction]] (first three books)
| publisher = Parnassus Press, [[Atheneum Books]], [[Harcourt (publisher)|Harcourt]], [[Saga Press]] (US)
| pub_date = 1964–2018 <!-- span of Earthsea publications --> (novels, 1968–2001)
| media_type = Print ([[hardcover]] and [[paperback]]), [[audiobook]]
}}

'''''The Earthsea Cycle''''', also known as '''''Earthsea''''', is a series of [[high fantasy]] books written by American author [[Ursula K. Le Guin]].  Beginning with ''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]'' (1968), ''[[The Tombs of Atuan]]'' (1970), and ''[[The Farthest Shore]]'' (1972), the series was continued in ''[[Tehanu]]'' (1990), and ''[[Tales from Earthsea]]'' and ''[[The Other Wind]]'' (both 2001).  In 2018, all the novels and short stories were published in a single volume, ''The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition'', with artwork by [[Charles Vess]].

== Setting ==

{{Main|Earthsea (universe)}}

{{See also|List of characters in Earthsea}}

=== Geography ===

The [[Earthsea (universe)|world of Earthsea]] is one of sea and islands: a vast archipelago of hundreds of islands surrounded by mostly uncharted ocean. Earthsea contains no large continents. The largest island, Havnor, at approximately {{convert|380|mi|km}} across, is about the size of [[Great Britain]]. The cultures of Earthsea are literate non-industrial civilizations and not direct analogues of the real world. The overall climate of Earthsea is temperate, comparable to the mid-latitudes (over a distance of about {{convert|1800|mi|km|disp=or}}) of the northern hemisphere of the Earth. There is a yearly transition from warm summers to cold and snowy winters, especially on northern islands like Gont and Osskil. In the southern regions of Earthsea, it can be much warmer.

Most of the people of Earthsea have brown skin.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chronicles of Earthsea |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/feb/09/sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.ursulakleguin |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=12 September 2016 |date=9 February 2004}}</ref>  In the Archipelago, "red-brown" skin is typical; however, the people of the East Reach have darker "black-brown" complexions.{{sfnp|Le Guin|1968|loc=chapter 3, ''The School for Wizards''|ps=: "He had the accent of the East Reach, and was very dark of skin, not red-brown like Ged and Jasper and most folk of the Archipelago, but black-brown."}} The people of Osskil in the north are described as having lighter, sallow complexions,{{sfnp|Le Guin|1968|loc=chapter 2, ''The Shadow''|ps=: "She was a tall girl of about his own age, very sallow, almost white-skinned; her mother, they said in the village, was from Osskil or some such foreign land. Her hair fell long and straight like a fall of black water."}} while the [[Karg]]s of the Kargad Lands are "white-skinned" and often "yellow-haired".{{sfnp|Le Guin|1968|loc=chapter 1, ''Warriors in the Mist''|ps=: "...they are a savage people, white-skinned, yellow-haired, and fierce, liking the sight of blood and the smell of burning towns."}} Le Guin has criticized what she described as the general assumption in fantasy that characters should be white and the society should resemble the European [[Middle Ages]].<ref name=harcourt/> Richard Erlich writes that Earthsea is "Earth in a legendary time", not some other planet. Having power centralized under a king could, Erlich writes, be the "least bad political option". He places the era as something like the [[Bronze Age]] for Gont at the start of ''A Wizard of Earthsea'', and the later period of rule by kings, started by Lebannen, as resembling [[Mycenaean Greece]] as mentioned by [[Homer]].{{sfn|Erlich|2010|p=99}}

=== Cosmology ===

Magic is a central part of life in most of Earthsea; the exception being the Kargish lands, where it is forbidden. There are weather workers on ships, fixers who repair boats and buildings, entertainers, and court sorcerers. Magic is an inborn talent which can be refined with training. The most gifted are sent to the school on Roke, where, if their skill and discipline prove sufficient, they can become staff-carrying wizards.

The Dry Land is where most people go after they die, with the exception of the Kargs. It is a realm of shadow and dust, of eternal night where the stars are fixed in the sky, and nothing changes. The souls who reside there have an empty, dreary existence, and even "lovers pass each other in silence". Le Guin stated that the idea of the Dry Land came from the "Greco-Roman idea of [[Hades]]' [[Greek underworld|realm]], from certain images in [[Dante Alighieri]]'s work, and from one of [[Rainer Maria Rilke]]'s ''[[Duino Elegies|[Duino] Elegies]]''".<ref name=guardian/> In the fifth and last novel of the series, ''[[The Other Wind]]'', it is revealed that the Dry Land is a part of the dragons' domain that was stolen from them by the earliest mages in an attempt gone awry to obtain immortality. The Dry Land is restored to the dragons at the end of ''The Other Wind''.

=== Taoist philosophy ===

{{Main|Le Guin and Taoism}}

[[File:Yin and Yang symbol.svg|thumb|upright|[[Yin-Yang]] symbol of [[Taoism|balanced opposites]]. In Le Guin's words, "Light is [[The Left Hand of Darkness|the left hand of darkness]]; darkness is the right hand of light."<ref>{{cite book |last=Le Guin |first=Ursula K. |title=The Left Hand of Darkness |chapter=Epigraph |year=1969 |publisher=Ace Books}}</ref>{{sfn|Erlich|2010|p=122}}]]

Literary scholar Richard Erlich writes that the ''Earthsea'' books embody [[Taoism|Taoist]] philosophy, with ''Tehanu'' counterbalancing the initial trilogy.{{sfn|Erlich|2010|pp=94–98}} In ''Tehanu'', Ged returns to Gont, completing the cycle of his quest: Erlich comments that this movement back to his roots is Taoist.{{sfn|Erlich|2010|pp=94–98}} The balancing of "polarities" such as light and dark, male and female, doing and being is central to the philosophy and to the novels. The [[Yin-Yang]] symbol reflects this, and Erlich analyzes multiple occurrences of Yin-Yang in the series, commenting that "Yin-Yang, indeed, is a unifying symbol in the trilogy".{{sfn|Erlich|2010|pp=94–98}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Richard Erlich's analysis of [[Taoism|Taoist]]-style balancing of [[Yin-Yang]] opposites in ''Earthsea''{{sfn|Erlich|2010|pp=94–98}}
|-
! Instance 
! colspan=2 | Opposites 
! Location
|-
| "Only in silence the word" || silence || word 
| rowspan=3 | [[Epigraph (literature)|Epigraph]] at start of<br/>''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]''<br/>and of ''[[Tehanu]]''
|-
| "Only in dark the light" || dark || light <!--|rowspan-->
|-
| "Only in dying life" || death || life     <!--|rowspan-->
|-
| White scars on Ged's dark face || dark skin || white scars || ''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]''
|-
| Ged merges with his shadow || shadow || hero || ''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]''
|-
| (Initially hostile) Tenar bonds with Ged || dark-skinned Ged || white-skinned Tenar || ''[[Tombs of Atuan]]''
|-
| scarred Therru is a dragon || burned Therru || dragon-person Tehanu || ''[[Tehanu]]''
|}

Erlich also writes that the three books of the initial trilogy each embody a Taoist balance that needs restoring, a needed integration, and a doorway that must be closed.{{sfn|Erlich|2010|pp=102–110}}

== Series ==
=== Books ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; min-height: 18em"
! style="min-width: 10em" | Book !! style="min-width: 3em" | Year !! Publisher
|-
| ''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]'' || 1968 || Parnassus
|-
| ''[[The Tombs of Atuan]]'' || 1971{{efn|''The Tombs of Atuan'' previously appeared in the Winter 1970 issue of ''[[Worlds of Fantasy]]'' with illustrations and the magazine cover picture by [[Jack Gaughan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?151901|title=ISFDB: Worlds of Fantasy, Winter 1970}}</ref>}} || rowspan=3 | [[Atheneum Books|Atheneum]]
|-
| ''[[The Farthest Shore]]'' || 1972
|-
| ''[[Tehanu]]'' || 1990
|-
| ''[[Tales from Earthsea]]'' ||  2001 || rowspan=2 | [[Harcourt (publisher)|Harcourt]]
|-
| ''[[The Other Wind]]'' || 2001
|}

Le Guin originally intended for ''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]'' to be a standalone novel, but she wrote ''[[The Tombs of Atuan]]'' as a sequel after considering the loose ends in the first book; ''[[The Farthest Shore]]'' followed after further consideration. These three books were written in quick succession, from 1968 to 1972, and are sometimes seen as the "original trilogy".{{sfnp|Cadden|2005|pp=80–81}}{{sfnp|Bernardo|Murphy|2006|p=95}} Nearly twenty years later, Le Guin wrote a fourth book, ''[[Tehanu]]'' (1990), and followed it with ''[[Tales from Earthsea]]'' and ''[[The Other Wind]]'' in 2001. The latter three books are sometimes referred to as the "second trilogy".{{sfnp|Bernardo|Murphy|2006|p=95}}{{sfnp|Cadden|2005|pp=6, 7, 89, 96}} The series as a whole is known as the ''Earthsea Cycle'', and was published in a single volume in 2018 as ''The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition'', with art by Charles Vess.<ref>{{isfdb contents |id=678150 |title=The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition}}.</ref>

=== Short stories ===

Le Guin published nine short stories of Earthsea. Seven appear in two collections of her work (and some have been reissued elsewhere). Two early stories were originally published in 1964, and were collected in ''[[The Wind's Twelve Quarters]]'' (1975). These helped to define the setting of Earthsea. Five much later stories were collected in ''[[Tales from Earthsea]]'' (2001), where three were original.<ref name=isfdb /> In October 2014, a new novella set in Earthsea was published as a stand-alone, "The Daughter of Odren".<ref name=Odren-hmhco>{{cite web |title=The Daughter of Odren |url=http://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/The-Daughter-of-Odren/9780544358386 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |via=hmco.com |access-date=2015-08-12 |location=Boston |quote=42 pages |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509210656/https://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/The-Daughter-of-Odren/9780544358386 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[https://www.amazon.com/The-Daughter-Odren-Kindle-Single-ebook/dp/B00O70WOD0 "The Daughter of Odren (Kindle Single)"]. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2015-08-13. Quote: "Master storyteller Ursula LeGuin takes readers back to Earthsea"; 31 pages; age level 12 and up.</ref> A final 12-page short story, "Firelight", was published in June 2018, covering the last days of Ged.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781473223554|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180514010101/https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn%3D9781473223554|title= The Books of Earthsea| publisher= Orion Books |access-date=May 14, 2018|archive-date=May 14, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''Tales from Earthsea'' also includes about 30 pages of fictional reference material titled "A Description of Earthsea" (2001).<ref name=isfdb>{{cite web| url= http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?4220 |title= Earthsea Cycle – Series Bibliography| work= [[Internet Speculative Fiction Database]]| via= isfdb.org| access-date= 2012-04-09}}</ref>

* "[[The Word of Unbinding]]", ''[[Fantastic Stories of Imagination]]'', January 1964 <sup>[[#+Q|'''+Q''']]</sup>
* "[[The Rule of Names]]", ''Fantastic Stories of Imagination'', April 1964<sup> [[#+Q|'''+Q''']]</sup>
* "Dragonfly", ''[[Legends (anthology)|Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy]]'', [[Tor Books]], 1998 <sup>[[#+T|'''+T''']]</sup>
* "Darkrose and Diamond", ''[[The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction]]'', Oct-Nov 1999 <sup>[[#+T|'''+T''']]</sup>
* "The Bones of the Earth" (2001) <sup>[[#T|'''T''']]</sup>
* "The Finder" (2001) <sup>[[#T|'''T''']]</sup>
* "On The High Marsh" (2001) <sup>[[#T|'''T''']]</sup>
* "The Daughter of Odren" (2014) <ref name=Odren-hmhco /> <sup>[[#T|'''EB''']]</sup>
* "Firelight", ''[[Paris Review]]'', Summer 2018, issue 225<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hachette.com.au/ursula-k-le-guin/the-books-of-earthsea|title=50th anniversary of the timeless and beloved A Wizard of Earthsea|publisher=Hachette Australia|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref>

:'''Key:'''
:{{anchor|+Q}}<sup>'''+Q'''</sup> Collected in ''The Wind's Twelve Quarters''
:{{anchor|+T}}<sup>'''+T'''</sup> Collected in ''Tales from Earthsea''
:{{anchor|T}}<sup>'''T'''</sup> &nbsp; Original to ''Tales from Earthsea''
:{{anchor|T}}<sup>'''EB'''</sup> &nbsp; Originally released as a stand-alone eBook<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ursulakleguin.com/the-daughter-of-odren | title=Ursula K. Le Guin — the Daughter of Odren }}</ref>
:All of the stories are included in ''The Books of Earthsea''.

=== Unsubmitted story ===
After "The Rule of Names" and before "A Wizard of Earthsea", Le Guin wrote a long story about a prince in search of the Ultimate. He travels south-west from Havnor through the archipelago into the open sea. There he finds a raft-colony and sea-people, whom he joins in the sea. The prince wears out, sinks and finds the Ultimate. This story was never submitted for publication because "it never worked out itself well".<ref>"Dreams Must Explain Themselves" by Ursula Le Guin in ''[[Algol (fanzine)|Algol]]'' 21, Tenth Anniversary Issue, (November 1973; p. 8)</ref> However, the theme of a raft-colony and sea-people was later taken up as an important ingredient in the plot of ''[[The Farthest Shore]]''.

== Awards ==
Each book in the series has received a literary award:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
! style="min-width: 10em" | Book !! Awards{{sfnp|Bernardo|Murphy|2006|ps=, p. [https://archive.org/details/ursulakleguincri00bern/page/n19 5]}}<ref name="SFADB">{{Cite web |title=Ursula K. Le Guin |url=http://www.sfadb.com/Ursula_K_Le_Guin |access-date=February 26, 2019 |website=[[Science Fiction Awards Database]] |publisher=Locus Science Fiction Foundation |archive-date=July 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721004427/http://www.sfadb.com/Ursula_K_Le_Guin |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| ''[[A Wizard of Earthsea]]''
| [[Boston Globe-Horn Book Award]] (1969)<ref>{{cite web|title=Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards – List of past winners |url=http://archive.hbook.com/bghb/past/past.asp |access-date=10 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019092012/http://archive.hbook.com/bghb/past/past.asp |archive-date=19 October 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><br /> [[Lewis Carroll Shelf Award]] (1979)
|-
| ''[[The Tombs of Atuan]]''|| [[Newbery Medal|Newbery Honor]] (1972)
|-
| ''[[The Farthest Shore]]'' || [[National Book Award#Children's Books|National Book Award for Children's Books]] (1973)
|-
| ''[[Tehanu]]'' || [[Nebula Award for Best Novel]] (1990)<br /> [[Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel]] (1991)
|-
| ''[[Tales from Earthsea]]'' || [[Locus Award|Locus Award for Best Collection]] (2002)
|-
| ''[[The Other Wind]]'' || [[World Fantasy Award for Best Novel#2002|World Fantasy Award for Best Novel]] (2002)
|}

On November 5, 2019, the ''[[BBC News]]'' listed ''The Earthsea Trilogy'' on its list of the [[BBC list of 100 'most inspiring' novels|100 most influential novels]].<ref name=Bbc2019-11-05/>

== Influences ==

The ''Earthsea'' series, from 1968, was one of the first fantasy series [[Works inspired by Tolkien|influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien]].<ref>"Le Guin's Earthsea series, beginning with ''The Wizard of Earthsea'' (1968) is not only amongst the finest examples of post-Tolkien fantasy, it is explicitly and directly influenced by Tolkien himself." [[Adam Roberts (British writer)|Adam Roberts]], ''The Riddles of the Hobbit''. Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. {{ISBN|1137373652}} p. 19</ref><ref>"For Le Guin, Tolkien is a major precursor...Le Guin also acknowledges the importance of Tolkien, whose ability to create a world she finds impressive."Susan M. Bernardo, Graham J. Murphy, ''Ursula K. Le Guin: A Critical Companion''. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0313332258}} (pp. 92-93).</ref> Among the Tolkienian archetypes in the Earthsea books are wizards (including the protagonist, [[Ged (Earthsea)|Ged]]), a magical ring (the ring of Erreth-Akbe in ''[[The Tombs of Atuan]]''), a [[Quests in Middle-earth|Middle-earth style quest]] (in ''The Farthest Shore''), and powerful dragons (like the dragon of Pendor, in ''A Wizard of Earthsea'').<ref name="Paxson 1984">{{cite journal |last=Paxson |first=Diana |year=1984 |title=The Tolkien Tradition |journal=[[Mythlore]] |volume=11 |issue=1 |at=Article 19 |url=https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol11/iss1/19 }}</ref>

The Tolkien scholar [[John Garth (author)|John Garth]] writes that Tolkien's name appears to be hidden in the small amount of the Hardic language of Earthsea in ''The Wizard of Earthsea''. "Foam" is ''sukien'', from ''suk'', "feather", and ''inien'', "sea". "Rock", the material of earth, is "tolk", so, he suggests, the Hardic for "Earthsea" would be ''Tolkien'', for ''tolk + inien'' on the same pattern as ''sukien''. Garth suggests that this is a tribute to Tolkien, ''tolk'' being the first word of the "Old Speech" that she names, and the first to be handed down both by the Wizard Ged to Tenar in ''[[The Tombs of Atuan]]'', and by Tenar to her daughter in ''[[Tehanu]]''.<ref name="Garth 2021">{{cite web |last=Garth |first=John |author-link=John Garth (author) |title=Ursula Le Guin, the language of Earthsea, and Tolkien |url=https://johngarth.wordpress.com/2021/01/22/ursula-le-guin-the-language-of-earthsea-and-tolkien/#_ftn2<!-- WEBSITE of PUBLISHED AUTHOR--> |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122223313/https://johngarth.wordpress.com/2021/01/22/ursula-le-guin-the-language-of-earthsea-and-tolkien/ |archive-date=22 January 2021 |url-status=live |publisher=John Garth |access-date=3 February 2021 |date=22 January 2021}}</ref> Garth's post is pre-dated by similar speculation by the American author Keith Miller who wrote on the topic shortly after attending a talk by Le Guin in which she spoke of her love of Tolkien's work.<ref name="Miller 2015">{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Keith |date=22 January 2021 |title=Ursula K. Le Guin |url=https://millerworlds.blogspot.com/2015/11/ursula-k-le-guin.html|publisher=Keith Miller |access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref>

==Adaptations==

===Audiobooks===

Audiobook readings have been made by different narrators and publishers.<ref name=bibliog>{{cite web |url=http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Biblio-Short.html |title=Ursula K. Le Guin: Short Bibliography |publisher=Ursula K. Le Guin |date=May 2010 |access-date=2014-08-13 |archive-date=June 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606114836/http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Biblio-Short.html |url-status=dead }} "(Major works only, principal U.S. editions only)".</ref> In the early 1990s, [[Rob Inglis|Robert Inglis]] narrated the first three books of the series for [[Recorded Books]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.recordedbooks.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=rb.search_books&show_by=series&series_id=8 |title=Earthsea Cycle |publisher=[[Recorded Books]] (recordedbooks.com) |access-date=2014-08-13 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} "Displaying 1-4 of 4 books in Earthsea Cycle". No dates.</ref>

===Radio===

A [[BBC]]-produced two-hour radio dramatization of ''A Wizard of Earthsea'' was originally broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] on December 26, 1996. This adaptation was narrated by Dame [[Judi Dench]], with [[Michael Maloney]] as [[Ged (Earthsea)|Ged]], and used a wide range of actors with different regional and social accents to emphasize the origins of the Earthsea characters (for instance, Estarriol and others from the East Reach were played by actors with [[Wales|Southern Welsh]] accents).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pfpcm |title=BBC Radio 7 – A Wizard of Earthsea |work=BBC iPlayer Radio |publisher=BBC (bbc.co.uk) |access-date=2011-07-10}} Broadcast January 5, 2011, on BBC Radio 7.</ref> The adaptation was subsequently released on audio cassette.

In April and May 2015, [[BBC Radio 4]] aired a new, six-part dramatization of the ''Earthsea'' works, encompassing the storylines and motifs of the novels ''A Wizard of Earthsea'', ''The Tombs of Atuan'' and ''The Farthest Shore''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Adapting Ursula Le Guin's 'Earthsea' and 'The Left Hand of Darkness' for Radio |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/writers/blog/adapting-ursula-le-guins-earthsea-and-the-left-hand-of-darkness-for-radio |work=BBC Blogs – BBC Writersroom |publisher=BBC |access-date=2015-05-15 |author=Adams, Judith |date=April 14, 2015}}</ref> The first of the six 30 minute-long episodes premiered on April 27 and the last on May 5. The characters of Ged and Tenar were portrayed by three actors at different stages in their lives (Kasper Hilton-Hille, [[James McArdle]] and [[Shaun Dooley]] as Ged; Nishi Malde, [[Aysha Kala]] and [[Vineeta Rishi]] as Tenar). The radio drama was adapted by Judith Adams, directed by [[Sasha Yevtushenko]] and featured original music composed by Jon Nicholls. Following the premiere radio broadcast, each of the episodes were made available for online streaming on [[BBC Radio 4 Extra]] for a month, via the [[BBC iPlayer]] service.<ref>{{cite web |title=Episodes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05pktp7/episodes/guide |work=BBC Radio 4 Extra: Earthsea |publisher=BBC |access-date=2015-05-15 }}</ref> The adaptation was created and aired as part of a thematic month centered on the life and works of Ursula Le Guin, in commemoration of her then-recent 85th birthday.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ursula K. Le Guin on BBC Radio 4 and 4 Extra |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02npj4b |website=BBC Radio 4 |publisher=BBC |access-date=2015-05-15 |date=April 8, 2015}} "A preview of our Le&nbsp;Guin celebration."</ref> In addition to the ''Earthsea'' radio drama, the thematic month included the airing of a two-part radio adaptation of ''[[The Left Hand of Darkness]]'' earlier in April, as well as exclusive interviews with Le Guin and some of the writers she inspired.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Left Hand of Darkness [Episode 1 of 2] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05pkpgg |work=BBC Radio 4: The Left Hand of Darkness |publisher=BBC |access-date=2015-05-15 }} Broadcast April 18, 2015; episode 2 broadcast April 25.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ursula Le Guin at 85 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05pkmyg |website=BBC Radio 4 |publisher=BBC |access-date=2015-05-15 }} Audio interview broadcast April 9, 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Le Guin Effect: 7 Bestselling Authors Influenced by Ursula Le Guin |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/NvYCd6pbQ0wCvvY1PFZdtX/ursula-le-guin |work=BBC Radio 4: The Left Hand of Darkness |publisher=BBC  |access-date=2015-05-15 }}</ref>

===Television===

====Miniseries, 2004====
{{Main|Earthsea (miniseries)}}
In December 2004, the U.S.-based [[Sci Fi Channel]] broadcast a three-hour loose adaptation of ''A Wizard of Earthsea'' and ''The Tombs of Atuan'' for television, entitled ''[[Legend of Earthsea]]'' (later, simply ''Earthsea''). It was broadcast in two parts on [[Channel 4]] in the UK at Easter 2005. Sci Fi Channel had angered Le Guin<ref>Le Guin (December 16, 2004). [http://www.slate.com/id/2111107 "A Whitewashed Earthsea: How the Sci Fi Channel wrecked my books"]. ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]''. Retrieved 2007-05-06.</ref> and fans of the Earthsea novels with its announcement that Ged and the vast majority of the other characters would be played by [[White people|Caucasians]] and with the [[dramatis personæ]] posted on an official website.<!-- 2015-08-13 at Internet Archive: evidently multiple pages; top page as archived 2004 to 2013 not useful --> The latter revealed several original characters – such as "The Archmagus" and "King Tygath", "Diana", "Penelope", and "Marion" – and it referred to "Kargide" characters rather than Kargad, Karg, or Kargish. The religious practices of Atuan were portrayed differently in the adaptation, and the celibacy of Earthsea wizards overlooked as Ged and Tenar become sexually involved.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} Referring to the writers of the show, Le Guin said "I have blasted them for [[Whitewashing in film|whitewashing]] Earthsea, and do not forgive them for it."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ursula K. Le Guin — Tales of Earthsea or Gedo Senki |url=https://www.ursulakleguin.com/adaptation-tales-of-earthsea |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=Ursula K. Le Guin |language=en-US}}</ref>

One month before the U.S. broadcast, Le Guin posted on her website "A Reply to Some Statements Made by the Film-Makers" published in the December 2004 issue of ''Sci Fi Magazine''. She opened with the observation, "I've tried very hard to keep from saying anything at all about this production, being well aware that movies must differ in many ways from the books they're based on, and feeling that I really had no business talking about it, since I was not included in planning it and was given no part in discussions or decisions." (Director [[Robert Lieberman]], too, had stated that she was not involved.)<ref name=reply/>

"That makes it particularly galling of the director to put words in my mouth."<ref name=reply/> Le Guin disavowed some specific interpretations both by Lieberman and by executive director [[Robert Halmi Sr.]], and concluded (quoting Lieberman):
{{blockquote|I wonder if the people who made the [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|film of ''The Lord of the Rings'']] had ended it with Frodo putting on the Ring and ruling happily ever after, and then claimed that that was what [[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] "intended{{nbsp}}..."[,] would people think they'd been "very, very honest to the books"?<ref name=reply>Le Guin (November 13, 2004). [http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Earthsea.html "Earthsea Miniseries: A Reply to Some Statements Made by the Film-Makers of the Earthsea Miniseries Before it was Shown"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041127070008/http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Earthsea.html |date=2004-11-27 }}. Ursula K. Le Guin. Retrieved 2015-08-13. "Updated Sunday July 13, 2008".<br />One of several Earthsea Miniseries Notes ([http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Index-EarthseaMiniseries.html index by Le Guin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907182414/http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Index-EarthseaMiniseries.html |date=2015-09-07 }}) – linked notes by Le Guin and by others.</ref>}}

====Planned TV series====
In May 2018, it was announced that the series had been opted for a film adaptation by producer [[Jennifer Fox (film producer)|Jennifer Fox]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/05/jennifer-fox-film-earthsea-novel-1202397673/|title=Oscar Nominated Producer Jennifer Fox Nabs Film Rights To 'Earthsea' Book Series|last=N'Duka|first=Amanda|publisher=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]|date=May 24, 2018|access-date=June 6, 2018|website=Deadline}}</ref> In 2019, it was decided to produce a TV series instead.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/earthsea-based-fantasy-book-series-television-a24-jennifer-fox-1202709659/|title='Earthsea' TV Series Based On Fantasy Books In The Works By A24 & Jennifer Fox|author=Andreeva, Nellie|date=September 3, 2019|publisher=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]|website=Deadline}}</ref>

Nothing has been heard of this proposed series since.

===Animated film, 2006===
{{Main|Tales from Earthsea (film)}}

[[Studio Ghibli]]'s 2006 film ''[[Tales from Earthsea (film)|Tales from Earthsea]]'' is loosely based in the Earthsea mythology. It was directed by [[Gorō Miyazaki]], the son of [[Hayao Miyazaki]]. Le Guin granted Studio Ghibli the rights due to her love of Hayao Miyazaki's films.<ref name=reply2/> Le Guin called the adaptation "disappointing" and "entirely different" from her creation.<ref name=reply2>{{cite web|url=https://www.ursulakleguin.com/gedo-senki-1 |title=Gedo Senki: A First Response |last=Le Guin |year=2006 |publisher=Ursula K. Le Guin |access-date=2022-01-16 }} With linked "Response from a correspondent in Japan". <br />&nbsp; Complete subtitles: A First Response to "Gedo Senki", the Earthsea film made by Goro Miyazaki for Studio Ghibli. Written for my fans in Japan who are writing me about the movie, and for fans elsewhere who may be curious about it.</ref>

== Notes ==

{{notelist}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=guardian>
[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/feb/09/sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.ursulakleguin "Chronicles of Earthsea"]. Edited transcript of online Q&A. Arts: Books. ''[[The Guardian]]'' (London). February 9, 2004. Retrieved 2011-09.</ref>
<ref name=harcourt>
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070817004932/http://www.harcourtbooks.com/AuthorInterviews/LeGuinBEASpech.asp "Ursula K. Le Guin's BookExpo America Speech: Some Assumptions About Fantasy"]. [[Harcourt Books]] (hartcourtbooks.com; 2004). Archived from the original on 2007-08-17.</ref>

<ref name=Bbc2019-11-05>
{{cite news     
| url         = https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50302788
| title       = 100 'most inspiring' novels revealed by BBC Arts
| publisher   = [[BBC News]]
| date        = 2019-11-05
| access-date = 2019-11-10
| quote       = The reveal kickstarts the BBC's year-long celebration of literature.
}}
</ref>
}}

=== Sources ===

{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bernardo |first1=Susan |last2=Murphy |first2=Graham J. |title=Ursula K. Le Guin: A Critical Companion |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Connecticut |edition=1st |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-313-33225-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Cadden |first=Mike |title=Ursula K. Le Guin Beyond Genre: Fiction for Children and Adults|publisher=Routledge |location=New York |edition =1st |year=2005|isbn=978-0-415-97218-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Erlich |first=Richard D. |year=2010 |chapter=Earthsea Revisited: ''Tehanu'' |title=Coyote's Song: The Teaching Stories of Ursula K. Le Guin |series=Milford series: Popular writers of today |volume=72 |location=Rockville, Maryland |publisher=[[Wildside Press]] |isbn=9781434457752 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQJMK8SeNmsC |pages=379–417}}
* {{cite book |last=Le Guin |first=Ursula |title=A Wizard of Earthsea |publisher=Parnassus Press |location=Berkeley, California |edition=1st |year=1968 |isbn=978-0-395-27653-2}}
{{refend}}

=== Further reading ===

{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Attebery |first=Brian |author-link=Brian Attebery |title=The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin |publisher=University of Indiana Press |location=Bloomington, IN |edition=1st |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-253-35665-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/fantasytradition00atte |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Cummins |first=Elizabeth |title=Understanding Ursula K. Le Guin |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-87249-687-3 |location=Columbia, South Carolina |url=https://archive.org/details/understandingurs0000cumm |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Hynes |first=Peter |chapter=Female places in ''Earthsea'' |title=[[Children's Literature and Imaginative Geography]] |editor-last=Hudson |editor-first=Aïda |pages=263–280 |publisher=[[Wilfrid Laurier University Press]] |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-7711-2325-9 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=The Tombs of Atuan|last=Le Guin |first =Ursula |publisher=Atheneum Books |location=New York |edition =1st |year=1971 |isbn=978-0-689-20680-1 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=The Farthest Shore|last=Le Guin |first =Ursula |publisher=Atheneum Books |location=New York |edition =1st |year=1972 |isbn=978-0-689-30054-7 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=The Wind's Twelve Quarters |last=Le Guin |first =Ursula |publisher=Harper and Row |location=New York |edition =1st |year=1975|isbn=978-0-06-012562-2 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=Tehanu |last=Le Guin |first =Ursula |publisher=Atheneum Books |location=New York |edition=1st |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-689-31595-4 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=Earthsea Revisioned |last=Le Guin |first=Ursula |publisher=Green Bay Publications |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-948845-03-1 |oclc=29598010 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=Tales from Earthsea|last=Le Guin |first=Ursula |publisher=Harcourt Brace & Company|location=New York |edition =1st |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-15-100561-1 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=The Other Wind|last=Le Guin |first =Ursula |publisher=Harcourt Brace & Company|location=New York |edition =1st |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-15-100684-7 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Martin |first=Philip |title=A Guide to Fantasy Literature: Thoughts on Stories of Wonder & Enchantment |publisher=Crickhollow Books |location=Milwaukee, WI |edition=1st |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-933987-04-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/guidetofantasyli0000mart  |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea: A Critical Companion |last=Miller |first=Timothy S. |series=Palgrave Science Fiction and Fantasy: A New Canon |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=[[Cham, Switzerland|Cham]], Switzerland |edition=1st |year=2023 |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-24640-1 |isbn=978-3-031-24639-5 |s2cid=257293086 |url-access=registration |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-24640-1 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Petty |first=Anne C. |title=Dragons of Fantasy: The Scaly Villains & Heroes of Tolkien, Rowling, McCaffrey, Pratchett & Other Fantasy Greats |publisher=Cold Spring Press |location=Cold Spring Harbor, New York |edition=1st |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-59360-010-5 |ref=none}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==

* [http://www.ursulakleguin.com/ Le Guin's homepage] – her own map of Earthsea, truncated<!--at all four margins-->
* {{isfdb series|id=4220|title=Earthsea}}
* [http://scv.bu.edu/~aarondf/earthsea/earthsea.html The World of Earthsea] – with Le Guin's own map<!--complete--> and published illustrations including maps
* [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/spring96/griffin.html "Ursula Le Guin's Magical World of Earthsea"] by Jan M. Griffin, ''The ALAN Review'' 23.2 (Spring 1996)
* [http://www.tavia.co.uk/earthsea/ The Isolate Tower: An Earthsea Compendium] – fan encyclopedia or companion book
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140823041026/http://www.zenentrepreneur.com/writings.htm#fantasy "To Light A Candle: An Unofficial Earthsea Companion"] – fan encyclopedia or companion book

{{Ursula K. Le Guin}}
{{Fantasy fiction}}

[[Category:Earthsea| ]]
[[Category:Book series introduced in 1968]]
[[Category:Books illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert]]
[[Category:Books illustrated by Ruth Robbins]]
[[Category:Fantasy novel series]]
[[Category:Fiction set on ocean planets]]
[[Category:Fantasy worlds]]
[[Category:High fantasy novels]]
[[Category:Mass media franchises introduced in 1964]]
[[Category:Series by Ursula K. Le Guin]]
<!--[[Category:Works set on fictional planets]] wrong: Erlich p.99 - it's Earth "in a legendary time", i.e. as Middle-earth is-->