Ursula K. Le Guin (Website Review)

Website review first published in Macedonian by Vreme daily
(#682, 05.04.2006), also reprinted on Site of the Day blog.

Ursula K. Le Guin (born 1929) is one of the most important contemporary writers of science fiction and fantasy, and is also one of the great novelists and poets of the American literature as a whole.

Visually, her website reflects the atmosphere of her works, particularly the Earthsea series, which has recently received public attention due to film adaptations such as the TV mini-series and the animated movie by the famous Japanese Studio Ghibli, headed by the acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki.

In the same vein, the information architecture non intrusively provides a range of choices to the user, for instance by offering various versions of the same content – fit for print, plain text, or including links and images.

Le Guin's website offers biographical and bibliographical information, announcements of public appearances, and insight in writing process through artifacts: sketches, comments, notes, maps, and essays on writing. Some of her works—such as poems, excerpts and short stories—are also available on the website.

Alongside some other world-renowned authors, Le Guin has put an embargo on communication via e-mail, explicitly asking the prospective writers not to send her manuscripts for review, because that "is a paid, skilled job performed by professional writing consultants, manuscript doctors, and literary agents." The fans can ask for Ex Libris bookplates by sending self-addressed stamped envelope.


About the website

Updating: occasional
Speed: fast
Functionality: good
Code: HTML
Design: text-based
Navigation: minimal
Search: not included
Keywords: present
Public counter: present
RSS/Atom: none
Google PageRank: 6/10
Language: English
Address: www.ursulakleguin.com