Direction of the road

From a National Book award winner, a speculative short story exploring the human impact on the environment from the perspective of a tree.

The recipient of numerous literary prizes, including the National Book Award, the Kafka Award, and the Pushcart Prize, Ursula K. Le Guin is renowned for her spare, elegant prose, rich characterization, and diverse worlds. “Direction of the Road” is a short story originally published in the collection The Wind's Twelve Quarters. Inspired by a tree in the real world, Le Guin imbues the tree with consciousness, providing a philosophical commentary on the fraught relationship between humanity and nature.