The Lathe of Heaven – by Ursula K. Le Guin

[dwsowash]

The story is set in Portland, Oregon, in the year 2002. Portland has over three million inhabitants and the rain never stops. Most of the poor have kwashiorkor, a form protein deprivation. The culture is much the same as the 1970s in the United States but poverty reigns supreme.

George Orr, has been using drugs to prevent himself from having “effective” dreams, which change reality. After having a dream, the dream is the new reality for everyone, but George retains memory of the previous reality. Under threat of being placed in an asylum, Orr is forced to undergo “voluntary” psychiatric care for his drug abuse.

 

[Caliban]

I read this a short while ago and really enjoyed. Very dreamlike and probably my second favourite of her works that I have read.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I recently watched a video of Kim Stanley Robinson talking about Le Guin and started watching other videos with her and about her. I just learned about the 2002 remake of Lathe of Heaven! Talk about being out of touch.

Lathe of Heaven (2002)

Amazon.com For Ursula Le Guin's devoted following, the 2002 remake of the 1980 film based on her novel may not be the stuff dreams are made of. This new adaptation omits some of the original's most memorable developments (the racially equalized "grays" and the alien invasion). Lucas Haas stars...

www.sffchronicles.com

I am going to have to find it and watch it for comparison to the 1980 version. I wonder if she ever said anything about that.