Piercy, Marge

(US, 1936– )

Piercy's writing originates in the women's movement and the anti-war movements of the 1960s. Her early works were often naturalistic depictions of life for women in that period. However, the book for which she is most famous, Woman on the Edge of Time (1976) is set in two worlds: present-day America and the future. Connie Ramos, the central character, has been separated from her daughter and locked up in a mental hospital. Here she becomes part of an experiment, the side-effects of which allow her to contact a future where the world has achieved a kind of social equality and ecological balance. However, the future world is also engaged in a war and in other visions Connie sees the dystopic potential of the future.

Ursula Le Guin, Marilyn French, Jane Smiley. See SCIENCE FICTION  LM