Gabriela Mistral's pen name was formed from those of Frederic Mistral, a Provencal poet, and Gabriele D'Annunzio, the Italian poet and patriot. Her first major collection of poetry was published in the United States in 1922 under the title Desolacion. The sonnets of this volume, among her very best, evoke her passion for a young lover and her anguish at his suicide. Critics consider her collection Tala (Felling of Trees), published in Buenos Aires in 1938, her best work. Mistral's translated collections are now out of print in the United States. Anti-imperialism and a feminist rebellion against a masculine society are among the main themes of Mistral's poetry, but love---physical, religious, humanitarian, and maternal---was her primary subject; an unhappy personal life provided the source of much of her poetic drive. Much of Mistral's time and energy was dedicated to the children of the world; she was an energetic spokesperson for them and was responsible for the foundation of schools throughout Latin America. On the invitation of the Mexican government, she reorganized that country's school system in the 1920s, and she represented Chile in various posts at the League of Nations, the United Nations, and as a member of the consular service. She was one of Eleanor Roosevelt's many friends in the international community of women's issues.
Arguably one of the canonical writers of American science fiction, Ursula K. Le Guin was born in Berkeley, Calif., in 1929, the daughter of Alfred L. and Theodora Kroeber. After earning an A.B. degree from Radcliffe College and an A.M. from Columbia University, Le Guin was awarded a Fulbright fellowship in 1953. The genre formerly classified as 'science fiction' has become divided into sub-genres, such as fantasy, realistic fiction, alternative history, and other categories. Le Guin resists classifying her own work in any one area, saying that some of it may be called 'science fiction', while other writings may be considered 'realist' and still others 'magical realism' (her term). Le Guin is one of the few writers whose works (which include poetry and short fiction) can be found in public libraries' collections for children, young adults, and adults. Le Guin's published works include a novel, A Wizard of Earthsea, that won an American Library Association Notable Book citation, a Horn Book Honor List citation, and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1979. She has been nominated several times for the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award--the highest honors in science fiction/fantasy writing--and has won both awards. Her Earthsea Trilogy is a mainstay of libraries' fantasy fiction collections. Le Guin married Charles Alfred Le Guin on December 22, 1953. They live in Portland, Ore.
