Двенадцать ветров: Сборник рассказов Урсулы К. Ле Гуин

1975 collection of short stories

The Wind's Twelve Quarters is a collection of short stories by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin, named after a line from A. E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad, and first published by Harper & Row in 1975. A retrospective of Le Guin's short stories, it collects 17 previously published pieces of speculative fiction. Four of these were the germs of novels she was to write later, and a few others shared connections to Le Guin novels. At least four stories are set in the Hainish Universe, and two others in Earthsea. Many stories share themes and motifs, including time and utopia: certain images and characters also recur, including isolated scholars or explorers seeking knowledge in a hostile world.

The Wind's Twelve Quarters was positively received by critics, though, according to Spivack, reviewers were generally less favorable toward Le Guin's short stories than her novels. A reviewer in the Atlantic Monthly wrote that Le Guin was the "ideal science fiction writer for readers who ordinarily dislike science fiction", which Spivack attributes to Le Guin's exploration of the "ideas and psychological implications" of science rather than its technological aspects. The Sydney Morning Herald similarly praised Le Guin's "startlingly original approach to the genre" in the collection. Susan Wood wrote that the collection was a good showcase of Le Guin's "rapid development as a writer" in the period following the publication of her first stories, and that the collection was essential to understanding Le Guin. Multiple reviews called attention to the author's notes that preceded each story, with the Sydney Morning Herald saying they "[threw] some light on the workings of one of the most original minds in the genre". Commentators favorably highlighted a variety of individual stories. Wood called particular attention to "Nine Lives", "Winter's King", and "Vaster Than Empires and More Slow", writing that in each, scientific extrapolation was used as a "framework for powerful psychological studies". Reid, writing in 1997, also highlighted "Vaster Than Empires and More Slow", calling it a "Le Guin classic", as well as "April in Paris", praising Le Guin's use of her knowledge of medieval French culture. Literary scholar Charlotte Spivack had similar praise for "April in Paris", describing it as a "delightful "time" fantasy". She also praised "The Stars Below" as an "excellent science fiction story", and compared it favorably to the thematically similar "The Masters". Publishers Weekly highlighted the stories "April in Paris", "Nine Lives", and "The Ones Who Walk from Omelas" (sic), while the Salt Late Tribune reserved particular praise for "Winter's King" and "Semley's Necklace". Guynes also praised "April in Paris" and "The Good Trip", finding the other stories in the first half of the collection average. Guynes concluded that the collection as a whole was "multifaceted, intellectually rich, and artistically transformative". Scholar Donna White noted that those two stories, along with "Nine Lives" are among Le Guin's most anthologized stories.

The Wind's Twelve Quarters won the Locus Award for best single author collection in 1976. Two of the stories in the volume won awards when first published. "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" was nominated for the Locus Award for Best Short Fiction and won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1974, while "The Day Before the Revolution" won the Nebula Award for Best Short Story, the Locus Award for best short story, and the Jupiter Award for short stories, all in 1975. It was also nominated for the 1975 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. Additionally, "Winter's King" was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1970, and "Vaster than Empires and More Slow" was nominated for the same award in 1972, and came 14th in a poll for the Locus Award for Best Short Story, while "Nine Lives" was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Short Story in 1970. "Vaster than Empires and More Slow", "The Field of Vision", and "The Stars Below" were all nominees for the Locus Award, in 1972, 1974, and 1975 respectively.