Margaret Eleanor Atwood
- Born:
- November 18, 1939, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Nationality:
- Canadian
- Profession(s):
- Novelist, Poet, Essayist, Literary Critic, Teacher, Environmental Activist
Early Life and Education
- Spent significant portions of her childhood in the backwoods of Northern Quebec due to her father's entomological research.
- Began writing at age six.
- Educated at Leaside High School in Toronto.
- Received a Bachelor of Arts in English (with minors in French and Philosophy) from Victoria College at the University of Toronto in 1961.
- Earned a Master of Arts degree from Radcliffe College, Harvard University in 1962.
- Undertook doctoral studies at Harvard but did not complete a dissertation.
Career and Major Achievements
- Published her first book of poetry, Double Persephone, in 1961.
- Held teaching positions at various universities including the University of British Columbia, Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University), and the University of Alabama.
- Received the Booker Prize twice: for The Blind Assassin (2000) and The Testaments (2019, shared with Bernardine Evaristo).
- Won the Governor General's Award for Fiction for The Handmaid's Tale (1985) and Alias Grace (1996).
- Awarded the Arthur C. Clarke Award for The Handmaid's Tale (1987).
- Inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2001.
- Continued to publish prolifically across genres throughout her career.
Notable Works
- Novels: The Handmaid's Tale (1985), Cat's Eye (1988), Alias Grace (1996), The Blind Assassin (2000), Oryx and Crake (2003), The Year of the Flood (2009), MaddAddam (2013), The Testaments (2019)
- Poetry Collections: Double Persephone (1961), The Circle Game (1966), Selected Poems (1976)
- Short Story Collections: Dancing Girls (1977), Wilderness Tips (1991), Stone Mattress (2014)
- Non-fiction: Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature (1972), Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing (2002)
- Essays: Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 1971-2021 (2021)
One could consider collections of letters or biographical works written by others a form of 'margaret atwood autobiography', in that they provide insight into her life and thinking.
Adaptations
| Title | Year | Type |
|---|---|---|
| The Handmaid's Tale | 1990 | Film |
| The Handmaid's Tale | 2017-Present | Television Series |
| Alias Grace | 2017 | Television Miniseries |
Legacy and Impact
Margaret Atwood is considered one of Canada's most important writers and a significant voice in contemporary literature. Her works explore themes of gender, power, environmentalism, and Canadian identity, influencing writers and readers worldwide. Her dystopian novels, particularly The Handmaid's Tale, have become cultural touchstones.