A Wizard of Earthsea: A Big Read Documentary
From: National Endowment for the Arts
Series: The Big Read
Length: 29:08
Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) is arguably the most widely admired American fantasy novel of the past fifty years. The book's elegant diction, geographical sweep, and mounting suspense are quite irresistible. Earthsea—composed of an archipelago of many islands—is a land of the imagination, like Oz, Faerie, or the dream-like realm of our unconscious. Earthsea may not be a "real" world but it is one that our souls recognize as meaningful and "true." Actions there possess an epic grandeur, a mythic resonance that we associate with romance and fairy tale.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) is arguably the most widely admired American fantasy novel of the past fifty years. The book's elegant diction, geographical sweep, and mounting suspense are quite irresistible. Earthsea—composed of an archipelago of many islands—is a land of the imagination, like Oz, Faerie, or the dream-like realm of our unconscious. Earthsea may not be a "real" world but it is one that our souls recognize as meaningful and "true." Actions there possess an epic grandeur, a mythic resonance that we associate with romance and fairy tale.
Transcript
A Wizard of Earthsea
Radio Show - Transcript
Josephine Reed: Now, The Big Read.
KenYatta Rogers reads from A Wizard of Earthsea...
"Watch the air between my hands," he turned away from the others and stood still.
In a great slow gesture he stretched out his arms, the gesture of welcome that opens an invocation. He began to speak.
Reed: That's KenYatta Rogers reading from A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin.
Welcome to The Big Read, a program created by the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The largest reading program in American history, The Big Read is designed to unite communities through great literature.
Here's your host, poet and former Chair of the NEA, Dana Gioia.
Dana Gioia: A Wizard of Earthsea is the first book in a series of celebrated fantasy novels by Ursula K. Le Guin. This first novel describes th...
Read the full transcript
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original music | Mark Weingarten | Beeftech Studios | 00:00 | ||
| Pale Blue Arrow | The Cinematic Underground | Brick (soundtrack). | Nathan Johnson | 2005 | 00:00 |
| Knives in My Eyes | The Cinematic Underground | Brick (soundtrack). | Nathan Johnson | 2005 | 00:00 |
| Building to War | The Cinematic Underground | Brick (soundtrack). | Nathan Johnson | 2005 | 00:00 |
| Four O'Clock (Part One) | The Cinematic Underground | Brick (soundtrack). | Nathan Johnson | 2005 | 00:00 |
| The Tunnel | The Cinematic Underground | Brick (soundtrack). | Nathan Johnson | 2005 | 00:00 |
| Kabuki Confrontation | The Cinematic Underground | Brick (soundtrack). | Nathan Johnson | 2005 | 00:00 |
| The Tempest Suite No. 1, Op. 109 | The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leif Segerstam) | Jean Sibelius: The Tempest Suites 1 and 2, The Oceanides, and Nightride and Sunrise. | Ondine, Inc. | 1998 | 00:00 |
| No. 2: “Scene,” The Tempest Suite No. 2, Op. 109 | The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leif Segerstam). | Jean Sibelius: The Tempest Suites 1 and 2, The Oceanides, and Nightride and Sunrise. | Ondine, Inc. | 1998 | 00:00 |
| No.3: “Song II,” and Nightride and Sunrise: Op. 55. | The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leif Segerstam) | Jean Sibelius: The Tempest Suites 1 and 2, The Oceanides, and Nightride and Sunrise. | Ondine, Inc | 1998 | 00:00 |
| Lotus | Music from China | Traditional Chinese Music. | Music from China | 2001 | 00:00 |
| The Moon on High | Music from China | Traditional Chinese Music. | Music from China | 2001 | 00:00 |
| Foreric: Piano Study | Todd Barton | Metascapes. | Valley Productions | 2001 | 00:00 |
| Dark Landscape | Todd Barton | Metascapes. | Valley Productions | 2001 | 00:00 |
| Desperate Flight | Todd Barton | Metascapes. | Valley Productions | 2001 | 00:00 |
| Original music | Philip Brunelle | 00:00 |
Additional Credits
Written and produced by Dan Stone.
Music licensed by Adam Kampe.
Excerpts from “Pale Blue Arrow” and “Knives in My Eyes” (written by Nathan Johnson), “Building to War,” “Four O'Clock (Part One),” and “The Tunnel” (written by Nathan Johnson and Chris Mears), and “Kabuki Confrontation” (written by Nathan Johnson, Chris Mears, and China Kent), performed by Nathan Johnson and The Cinematic Underground from the original score to the film Brick (2005), published by Choplogic Music (ASCAP), and used courtesy of Nathan Johnson.
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