Ursula K. Le Guin is the one modern science fiction author who truly needs no introduction. In the 40 years since her first publication, her works have changed not only the face, but also the tone and agenda, of science fiction. Her Nebula award-winning novelette The Wild Girls - here newly revised and presented in book form for the first time - tells of two captive 'dirt children' living in a society of sword and silk. Also included is Le Guin's scandalous and scorching Harper's essay, Staying Awake While We Read, and an interview with the author herself.