Malafrena

Malafrena is a 1979 novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. The only fantastic element of this novel is that it takes place in the imaginary Central European country of Orsinia, which is also the setting of her collection Orsinian Tales.

Malafrena
Cover of first edition (hardcover)
AuthorUrsula K. Le Guin
Cover artistMichael Mariano
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy literature
PublisherBerkley Publishing Corporation
Publication date
1979
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages369 (First edition)
ISBN0-399-12410-1 (First edition, hardcover)
OCLC4805125
813/.5/4
LC ClassPZ4.L518 Mal 1979 PS3562.E42

In many ways, Malafrena reads like a 19th-century novel, with its many detailed characters, its political and romantic subplots, its lack of the supernatural, and its settings that range from the mansions of the aristocracy to slums and a prison. Malafrena is written for an adult audience, rather than children and young adults, the target readership of most of Le Guin's works in the period 1979-1994.[1]

Plot summary

The story takes place from 1825 to 1830, when Orsinia is ruled by the Austrian Empire. The hero is Itale Sorde, the son of the owner of an estate on a lake called Malafrena in a valley of the same name. Itale leaves the estate, against his father's will, to engage in nationalistic and revolutionary politics in the capital.

Characters
  • Itale Sorde: The protagonist of the story.
  • Laura Sorde: Itale's sister.
  • Guide Sorde: Itale's father.
  • Emanuel Sorde: Itale's uncle.
  • Eleonora: Itale's mother.
  • Tomas Brelavay: School friend and collaborator in Krasnoy.
  • Givan Frenin: School friend and collaborator in Krasnoy.
  • Count Orlant Valtorskar: Neighbor and family friend.
  • Piera Valtorskar: Neighbor and family friend.
  • Luisa Paludeskar: A young noble woman in Krasnoy.
  • Enrike Paludeskar: Luisa's brother.
  • Amadey Estenskar: A writer from Polana province.

Literary significance and criticism

Mike Cadden notes that Malafrena has not received as much critical attention as many of Le Guin's other works, primarily because the characters in the story do not connect well with one another.[2] An imperceptible, omniscient author is used to tell the story, and Le Guin herself acknowledges one of the strongest influences on her Orsinian works is Russian literature.[3]

Greg Costikyan reviewed Malafrena in Ares Magazine #6 and commented that "Malafrena seems to say that visionaries are often or usually destroyed, and though tragic, this must always be the case, for humanity cannot progress without them."[4]

gollark: You need a language model with at least 500 billion parameters.
gollark: Well, humans just can't joke at the level required nowadays.
gollark: Also "respect".
gollark: It's not a useful term.
gollark: Free speech is one of those phrases which gets equivocated all the way into beespace.

References
  1. Cadden, Mike. Ursula K. Le Guin Beyond Genre: Fiction for Children and Adults, (New York, NY: Routledge, 2005) page 114.
  2. Cadden, Mike. Ursula K. Le Guin Beyond Genre: Fiction for Children and Adults, (New York, NY: Routledge, 2005) page 30.
  3. Cadden, Mike. Ursula K. Le Guin Beyond Genre: Fiction for Children and Adults, (New York, NY: Routledge, 2005) page 153.
  4. Costikyan, Greg (January 1981). "Books". Ares Magazine. Simulations Publications, Inc. (6): 30.

Sources
  • Cadden, Mike (2005). Ursula K. Le Guin Beyond Genre: Fiction for Children and Adults (1st ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-99527-2.


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