I don't read fiction. I did however pick up Ursula K. Le Guin’s book “The Dispossessed” thanks to a dear anarchist comrade who insisted I must read it. She had good reasons to insist. (...)
The book was first published in 1974 and there are several parts where the description of the anarchist society reminded me of the cybernetic concepts of Stafford Beer (down to the vocabulary Le Guin uses). This is no surprise as Stafford Beers work for Allende’s socialist Chile (Project Cybersyn) was the object of international attention before and after the socialist government was overthrown by dictator Pinochet in 1973. This to me is one of the reasons why “The Dispossessed” was such a joy to read: It paints a vivid picture of the possibilities and struggles of a post-capitalist society and economy that abolishes state, police, prison and hierarchies. This kind of inspiring scenarios are as needed now as they were in 1974.
