A masterpiece of world-building that tells the story of an imaginary empire in a kaleidoscope of voices, by a pioneering woman in sci-fi/fantasy, translated by the great Ursula K. Le Guin
A Penguin Speculative Fiction Special
An empire falls and then rises and falls again. Kings and queens trade power in turn; storytellers whisper secrets into the ears of emperors; cities are besieged and invaded and rebuilt. This rich chronicle of an imaginary nation unfolds in fairy tales, oral histories, and political commentaries, forming a portrait of power, terror, and civilization in all its glory and dishonor. Ursula K. Le Guin was so enchanted by Kalpa Imperial that she learned Spanish in order to translate it, and she proves a sly and delightful partner to Angélica Gorodischer’s masterful prose. First published in 1983, the novel established Gorodischer as one of the preeminent female writers of speculative fiction.
