To Be Taught, if Fortunate

To Be Taught, if Fortunate is a 2019 science fiction novella by Becky Chambers.

To Be Taught, if Fortunate
AuthorBecky Chambers
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction
PublisherHodder & Stoughton
Publication date
2019
ISBN978-0062936011

Development

The title phrase comes from the opening audio recording on the Voyager Golden Record, spoken by Kurt Waldheim, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and launched into space in 1977:

I send greetings on behalf of the people of our planet. We step out of our solar system into the universe seeking only peace and friendship, to teach if we are called upon, to be taught if we are fortunate. We know full well that our planet and all its inhabitants are but a small part of the immense universe that surrounds us and it is with humility and hope that we take this step.

Chambers wrote the novel out of a desire to see "real people" centered in a narrative that takes place in space, as science fiction generally focuses on what she refers to as "the elite".[1]

Synopsis

To Be Taught, if Fortunate follows four astronauts in their research mission to four planets. The explorers sleep for extended periods of time while they travel between the planets. The book chronicles their adventures and explores how to decide what is important to the protagonists.

Reception

Emily VanDerWerff, writing for Vox, praised the novella as a "quick read [...] but ultimately a rewarding one, as it considers what it is that makes us human on both an individual and a collective level".[2]

Awards and accolades

The novella was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2020.[3]

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gollark: I just noticed that the FractalArt code contains a complex-looking monady function which is not actually used at all anywhere.
gollark: I am NOT using a zerophone.
gollark: I *was* looking at the LG V20 as a cheap old device I can buy, they were very good for their time.
gollark: But there are... less bad ones?

References
  1. Connolly, John (26 August 2019). "The future of sci-fi never looked so bright". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  2. VanDerWerff, Emily (18 March 2020). "The grim, necessary optimism of sci-fi author Becky Chambers". Vox. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  3. "2020 Hugo Awards". Retrieved 1 May 2020.


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