Margaret Eleanor Atwood, CC (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian writer. A prolific poet, novelist, literary critic, feminist and activist, she is a winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award and Prince of Asturias award for Literature, has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize five times, winning once, and has been a finalist for the Governor General's Award seven times, winning twice.
Easton Press Margaret Atwood books
The Blind Assassin - signed modern classic - 2012Franklin Library Margaret Atwood books
The Robber Bride - signed first edition - 1993
Writer Margaret Atwood
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Atwood is the second of three children of Carl Edmund Atwood, an entomologist, and Margaret Dorothy Killiam, a former dietitian and nutritionist. Due to her father’s ongoing research in forest entomology, Atwood spent much of her childhood in the backwoods of Northern Quebec and back and forth between Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie and Toronto. She did not attend school full-time until she was 11 years old. She became a voracious reader of literature, Dell pocketbook mysteries, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Canadian animal stories, and comic books. She attended Leaside High School in Leaside, Toronto and graduated in 1957.Atwood began writing at age six and realized she wanted to write professionally when she was 16. In 1957, she began studying at Victoria University in the University of Toronto. Her professors included Jay Macpherson and Northrop Frye. She graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts in English (honours) and minors in philosophy and French.
In late 1961, after winning the E.J. Pratt Medal for her privately printed book of poems, Double Persephone, she began graduate studies at Harvard's Radcliffe College with a Woodrow Wilson fellowship. She obtained a master's degree (MA) from Radcliffe in 1962 and pursued further graduate studies at Harvard University for 2 years, but never finished because she never completed a dissertation on “The English Metaphysical Romance” in 1967. She has taught at the University of British Columbia (1965), Sir George Williams University in Montreal (1967-68), the University of Alberta (1969-79), York University in Toronto (1971-72), and New York University, where she was Berg Professor of English.
In 1968, Atwood married Jim Polk, whom she divorced in 1973. She formed a relationship with fellow novelist Graeme Gibson soon after and moved to Alliston, Ontario, north of Toronto. In 1976 their daughter, Eleanor Jess Atwood Gibson, was born. Atwood returned to Toronto in 1980.
In March 2008 it was announced by Atwood, via television hookup between Toronto and Vancouver, that she had accepted her first chamber opera commission. 'Pauline' will be on the subject of Pauline Johnson, a writer and Canadian artist long a subject of fascination to Atwood. It will star Judith Forst, with music by Christos Hatzis, and be produced by City Opera of Vancouver. 'Pauline' will be set at Vancouver, British Columbia, in March 1913, in the last week in the life of Johnson.
The Handmaid's Tale received the first Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1987. The award is given for the best science fiction novel that was first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It was also nominated for the 1986 Nebula Award, and the 1987 Prometheus Award, both science fiction awards.
Atwood was at one time offended at the suggestion that The Handmaid's Tale or Oryx and Crake were science fiction, insisting to The Guardian that they were speculative fiction instead: "Science fiction has monsters and spaceships; speculative fiction could really happen." She told the Book of the Month Club: "Oryx and Crake is a speculative fiction, not a science fiction proper. It contains no intergalactic space travel, no teleportation, no Martians." On BBC Breakfast she explained that science fiction, as opposed to what she herself wrote, was "talking squids in outer space." The latter phrase particularly rankled advocates of science fiction and frequently recurs when her writing is discussed.
Atwood has since said that she does at times write social science fiction and that Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake can be designated as such. She clarified her meaning on the difference between speculative and science fiction, admitting that others use the terms interchangeably: "For me, the science fiction label belongs on books with things in them that we can't yet do.... speculative fiction means a work that employs the means already to hand and that takes place on Planet Earth", and said that science fiction narratives give a writer the ability to explore themes in ways that realistic fiction cannot.
Margaret Atwood's influence extends far beyond her native Canada. Her works continue to be studied in academic settings, adapted for television and film, and cherished by readers worldwide. Atwood's ability to blend compelling storytelling with incisive social commentary has solidified her status as a literary icon.
Atwood's masterful storytelling, rich character development, and incisive exploration of themes such as power, agency, and the nature of friendship make The Robber Bride a compelling and thought-provoking read. Through her nuanced portrayal of the complexities of human relationships, Atwood offers readers a captivating glimpse into the intricacies of the human psyche and the enduring bonds that connect us all.
The Blind Assassin
The Blind Assassin is a mesmerizing novel published in 2000. This intricate narrative weaves together multiple storylines, offering readers a captivating exploration of memory, betrayal, and the power of storytelling. Set in mid-20th century Canada, the novel primarily follows the intertwined lives of two sisters, Iris Chase Griffen and Laura Chase. Iris, the elder sister and the novel's protagonist, reflects on her life as she recounts her tumultuous relationship with Laura, who tragically took her own life at a young age. Through Iris's reflections, readers are drawn into a complex family saga marked by secrets, lies, and hidden truths.Central to the novel is the titular "blind assassin," a character from a novel-within-a-novel that Laura purportedly wrote before her death. As Iris delves into Laura's manuscript, she uncovers layers of meaning and symbolism that shed light on their shared past and the true nature of their family's secrets. Atwood's narrative is richly textured and intricately constructed, blending elements of historical fiction, mystery, and speculative fiction. Through her evocative prose and deft characterizations, she invites readers to ponder profound questions about the nature of truth, memory, and the human experience.
The Blind Assassin stands as a testament to Margaret Atwood's literary prowess, earning widespread acclaim for its compelling storytelling and thematic depth. Winner of the prestigious Booker Prize, the novel continues to resonate with readers for its profound exploration of love, loss, and the enduring power of narrative.
Margaret Atwood quotes
"A word after a word after a word is power."
"War is what happens when language fails."
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."
"Stupidity is the same as evil if you judge by the results."
"I would like to be the air that inhabits you for a moment only. I would like to be that unnoticed and that necessary."
"A
voice is a human gift; it should be cherished and used, to utter fully
human speech as possible. Powerlessness and silence go together."
"The answers you get from literature depend on the questions you pose."
"Another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise."
"We lived in the gaps between the stories."
"You
may not be able to alter reality, but you can alter your attitude
towards it, and this, paradoxically, alters reality. Try it and see."
Source and additional information: Margaret Atwood