“Realists of a larger reality”

In November 2014 science fiction and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin was awarded the National Book Foundation’s medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

In her acceptance speech, Le Guin [ht: rw] referred to writers as the “realists of a larger reality,” who can help us understand that

We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings.

We haven’t believed in the divine right of kings for quite some time. Perhaps, with the help of writers like Le Guin, it’s time to relinquish our modern belief in the inescapable power of capitalism.