One of my favourite conversations I ever had with another human being, was with someone who was telling me about a book he was reading, which he evidently loved very much. He spoke almost no English, and I spoke absolutely no Cantonese, so the entire fifteen minute conversation was conducted with gesture, intonation and the phrases: 'one man' 'many mans' 'some kung fu' 'many _(* n)_ kungfus!'

I love the left hand of darkness, the dispossessed, all the hainish books, but I have never loved any book as much as my conversation partner loved his book about many many Kung Fus.