Science fiction writer, born in Berkeley, California, USA. She studied at Radcliffe College and Columbia University, and became a prolific writer both for adults and children. Her ‘Hainish’ novels include Rocannon’s World (1966) and The Left Hand of Darkness (1969). Her ‘Earth Sea’ trilogy contains A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), The Tombs of Atuan (1971), and The Farthest Shore (1972). Later works include the children’s book Tehanu (1990), and two collections of short stories, A Fisherman of the Inland Sea (1994) and Changing Planes (2003).