Synopsis
Three characters describe a human colony on an alien planet. Davidson basically wants to turn the forest into a wheat field, and his patience with the indigenous population is short. Lyubov tries to learn the local language and document the people. Selver, born here, tries to survive being a servant/slave and mourns his dead wife.
Notes
The Word for Word is Forest is about 41,300 words long. It was not substantially revised after "Again, Dangerous Visions". Le Guin wrote this work under the title The Little Green Men, but it got retitled by Harlan Ellison: "I wrote The Little Green Men (its first editor, Harlan Ellison, retitled it, with my rather morose permission) in the winter of 1968" (quote from Author's Introduction to The Word for World Is Forest).
External Links
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Hugo Award | Best Novella | Winner |
| 1973 | Locus Poll Award | Best Novella | Runner-up |
| 1973 | Nebula Award | Novella | Nominee/Finalist |
| 2012 | Locus Online | 20th Century Novella | Runner-up |
Publications (46)
| Date | Publication | Publisher | Type | Page | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 1972 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions | Doubleday | Anthology | 26 |
| September 1972 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions | Doubleday / SFBC | Anthology | 32 |
| November 1973 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions I | Signet / New American Library | Anthology | 35 |
| November 1973 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions I | Signet / New American Library of Canada | Anthology | 35 |
| 1976 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions | Millington | Anthology | 26 |
| March 1976 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Berkley/Putnam | Novel | |
| December 1976 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Berkley Medallion | Novel | 1 |
| 1977 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions, Book 1 | Pan Books | Anthology | 31 |
| June 1977 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Gollancz | Novel | |
| August 1977 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions I | Signet / New American Library | Anthology | 35 |
| August 1977 |
|
The Hugo Winners, Volume Three | Doubleday | Anthology | 225 |
| December 1977 |
|
The Hugo Winners, Volume Three | Doubleday / SFBC | Anthology | 225 |
| February 1978 | The Word for World Is Forest | Berkley Books | Novel | ||
| 1979 |
|
The Hugo Winners, Volume Three, Part Two: 1973 | Dennis Dobson | Anthology | 225 |
| July 1979 |
|
The Hugo Winners: Volume 3, Book 2 | Fawcett Crest | Anthology | 10 |
| 1980 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Panther / Granada | Novel | 11 |
| 1980 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Panther / Granada | Novel | 11 |
| January 1980 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Panther / Granada | Novel | 11 |
| November 1981 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Berkley Books | Novel | 1 |
| March 1982 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Berkley Books | Novel | |
| November 1982 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Berkley Books | Novel | |
| July 1983 | The Word for World Is Forest | Berkley Books | Novel | ||
| October 1983 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions | Berkley Books | Anthology | 28 |
| April 1984 | The Word for World Is Forest | Berkley Books | Novel | ||
| November 1985 |
|
Five Complete Novels | Avenel Books | Omnibus | 493 |
| 1989 | The Word for World Is Forest | Ace Books | Novel | ||
| April 1989 | The Word for World Is Forest | Ace Books | Novel | ||
| June 1991 |
|
The Eye of the Heron & The Word for World Is Forest | VGSF / Gollancz | Omnibus | |
| 1992 | The Word for World Is Forest | Ace Books | Novel | ||
| 2006 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Tor Teen | Novel | |
| 2009 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Audible Studios | Novel | |
| May 2009 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions | e-reads.com | Anthology | 29 |
| June 2010 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Tor | Novel | |
| July 2010 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Tor | Novel | 9 |
| December 2010 | The Word for World Is Forest | Tor / SFBC | Novel | ||
| May 2012 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions | Gateway / Orion | Anthology | |
| April 2014 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions | Open Road Integrated Media | Anthology | |32 |
| 2015 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Gollancz / Orion | Novel | 11 |
| March 2015 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Gollancz / Orion | Novel | 11 |
| April 2015 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Gollancz / Orion | Novel | |
| September 2017 |
|
Hainish Novels & Stories, Volume Two | The Library of America | Omnibus | 1 |
| September 2017 |
|
The Hainish Novels & Stories | The Library of America | Omnibus | 1|24 |
| November 2022 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Gollancz / Orion | Novel | 1 |
| 2024 |
|
The Word for World Is Forest | Gollancz / Orion | Novel | 1 |
| June 2024 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions | Blackstone Publishing | Anthology | 47 |
| June 2024 |
|
Again, Dangerous Visions | Blackstone Publishing | Anthology | |47 |