Margaret Atwood

Her bibliography includes more than 50 titles spanning fiction, poetry and essays, but author Margaret Atwood says she’s tackling new terrain in her next book: her own story.

Atwood revealed on the NBC’s Today show that she’s working on a memoir – a project she’d previously denied any interest in tackling.

“That’s the kind of thing you say in your youth,” Atwood, 83, told host Jenna Bush Hager during an interview shot inside the ��Ƶ’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. “You say that when you’re maybe 70.”

Atwood – who completed her bachelor’s degree at Victoria College and was a U of T writer-in-residence in 1972 – talked about her latest collection of short stories, Old Babes in the Wood, and leafed through selections from her extensive archives housed at Fisher, which may serve as a useful resource as Atwood turns her pen on herself. “You can’t just make stuff up,” she says.

Back in the studio, Bush Hager told her Today co-hosts she was excited to spend time with Atwood at her alma mater. “U of T was where Margaret did her undergrad, so it was very cool to be back there with her,” Bush Hager said, thanking Thomas Fisher for hosting the interview. “They very rarely let people film there, but of course, when the queen of Canadian literature comes, they roll out the red carpet.”

Watch the Today Interview

Students pack U of T's Hart House for discussion on democracy with Margaret Atwood

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 20:51:41 +0000

Students pack U of T's Hart House for discussion on democracy with Margaret Atwood

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 10/06/2022 - 16:51

Cutline

Margaret Atwood appears on screen during a discussion titled “The Story of Democracy: What’s Next?" with Randy Boyagoda (photo by Lisa Lightbourn)

Michael McKinnon

Topic

Our Community

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Alumni

English

Faculty of Arts & Science

Margaret Atwood

Victoria College

Hundreds of ��Ƶ students lined up early to watch renowned author Margaret Atwood, an alumna of Victoria College, discuss the future of democracy with Randy Boyagoda, a writer and professor of English – and left with unexpected homework.

“My request to each of you is to spill out of this lecture hall tonight and engage with each other in collegial, respectful, meaningful conversation about your differences,” Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, told the students in her opening remarks. “And don't stop there. Engage with your professors and your fellow students inside and outside of the classroom.”

Held at Hart House with overflow viewing at Convocation Hall, the discussion titled, “The Story of Democracy: What’s Next?” was moderated by Sam Tanenhaus, a visiting fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and former editor at the New York Times Book Review. The event attracted more than 500 students and was organized in response to the growing concern – at U of T and beyond – that democracy is at a critical point, struggling to survive.

Tanenhaus invited Atwood, who appeared virtually, to be first on the panel to comment. The author of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, among many other novels, is often quoted in international media on issues of citizenship, free speech and the importance of fiction writers in a democracy. At Hart House, she referenced current turmoil in the U.S., where active movements are attempting to limit who can – and cannot – vote, for example, as well as the media’s ability to report the news.

“It has been said that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom,” Atwood said. “The (political) right has kidnapped the idea of free speech and I think people have to kidnap it back.”

Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science encouraged attendees to “engage with each other in collegial, respectful, meaningful conversation about your differences” (photo by Lisa Lightbourn)

Upon being announced, the event immediately resonated with students, with all 300 Hart House tickets snatched up in just 19 minutes – and more registering for overflow viewing. Ultimately, it brought together students with different lived experiences and a range of political views, as Woodin pointed out in her introduction.

To Boyagoda, the key questions were: How do we all live together in one society? How do we debate – and disagree – in a productive, respectful way whether in the classroom, on campus or beyond?

For one, he suggested replacing the word “no” with “perhaps” in a debate.

“The global village is the place where incompatible realities sit side by side on the bus,” Boyagoda said, in part quoting from Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses. “In a global or globalized village, we often have incompatible realities side by side – in a classroom, in the Great Hall today,” Boyagoda said. “We all need to cultivate our version of ‘perhaps,’ an openness to something that seems otherwise ridiculous, impossible, wrong. We need to cultivate our ‘perhaps’ and it can be terrifying.

“In leaving today, I encourage all of you to consider: What's your ‘perhaps?’ How do you find a way to keep that space open? Because if you don't keep it open, then everything else is closed off.”

The conversation moved from George Orwell’s 1984 to Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, touching on current protests in Iran, social upheaval in Sri Lanka and, in Canada, the Freedom Convoy protests that saw a heavier police presence at Queen’s Park and parts of U of T’s St. George campus.

The panelists also explored censorship – both the censorship of others and the self-censorship that stifles honest and mutually demanding discourse because people fear blowback from those who disagree.

Tanenhaus asked Atwood how often she self-censors. “Well, I was badly brought up and I don't have a job, and that does influence what you feel you can say,” she said. “If you don't have a job, nobody can fire you and this is why writers who don't have jobs are often called upon to speak in public.”

The event at Hart House resonated with students, with tickets snatched up in less than 20 minutes (photo by Lisa Lightbourn)

The event was aimed at: engaging students in robust discussions and advanced research; fostering timely debates that prize the importance of free speech; and educating and challenging future leaders as they journey through their university years and prepare to join democratic public life in Canada and around the world.

Some of the takeaways were deceptively simple for such a complex topic. For example: Continue to have conversations; disagree, but debate; and – as Atwood urged – remember that the Wizard of Oz was just a man behind a curtain.

“What we have to watch out for is the deliberate creation of chaos because once you have chaos, everybody looks for a Mister Fix-it to, you know, help make the trains run on time,” she said. “I think we're seeing that in various places in the world and I think we have to guard against it, even closer to home.”

Boyagoda pointed out that students attending the event have demonstrated their engagement in combatting erosion when it comes to democracy. Simply put, they showed up.

“In recent memory, I can't remember a time when the Faculty of Arts & Science had hundreds of students show up for an event,” he said. “I think the primary interest, of course, is having a chance to hear Margaret's observations about the future of democracy, but you're also here because you're here with each other. Those are the little ways that you counteract the erosion of democracy.”

The conclusion? Ultimately, democracy is worth fighting for.

“Many of you recognize that democracy can't be taken for granted – here at home, south of the border and all around the world,” Woodin said. “I believe the university and the Faculty of Arts & Science have a fundamental responsibility to support democratic engagement, which we're doing right here, right now.”

U of T Libraries exhibit explores enduring strength of CanLit community

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 19:08:32 +0000

U of T Libraries exhibit explores enduring strength of CanLit community

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 02/11/2020 - 14:08

Cutline

A new exhibition at U of T's Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library explores a cross-section of the CanLit scene, drawing from the library’s archival collections from pre-Confederation up to today (photo by Dominic Ali)

Topic

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

U of T Libraries

Think Canadian literature and chances are Booker Prize-winning author Margaret Atwood comes to mind. The ��Ƶ alumna and towering Canadian literary figure gained worldwide recognition in 1985 with the publication of The Handmaid’s Tale.

Yet, a new exhibition at the U of T’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library – Strength in Numbers: The CanLit Community – reveals that CanLit is more than just its most famous writers. Curated by archivist Natalya Rattan and librarian John Shoesmith, the exhibit is on until May 1 and explores a cross-section of the CanLit scene, drawing from the library’s archival collections from pre-Confederation up to today.

The exhibition presents the life cycle of a work – from progress to publication – and highlights the community that has given shape to CanLit, a rich network of authors, editors, publishers, illustrators, publicists, agents, booksellers and donors. Rather than exhibiting a deep dive of the Fisher’s considerable CanLit archives, Rattan and Shoesmith chose to display a few strengths while seeking to uncover new insights within the journals, letters and notebooks of the community.

In the process, several gems emerged.

“We discovered so many unique items and knowledge within the collections themselves,” Rattan says.

One example is the collaboration between artist Alan Stein and poet P.K. Page for her “How to Write a Poem”in the book The Golden Lilies: Eight New Glosas, which was produced in an edition of only 50 copies. The sketches, charcoal drawing and wood engraving for the ultimate image which accompanies the poem are part of the exhibit.

The exhibition also features personal items from CanLit icons, including a surprising letter by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of the Anne of Green Gables novels, claiming she has grown tired of Anne. In another letter, Book of Negroes author Lawrence Hill writes to his father, making a plea to get a kitten. As well, there is correspondence between the popular fiction author Arthur Hailey and renowned novelist Robertson Davies, in which Davies reassures Hailey of his legitimacy as a writer with an enormous international readership. Materials on CanLit luminaries like Susanna Moodie and Leonard Cohen are also on display.

Still, what would an exhibit on CanLit be without Atwood? Fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and the television series based upon it have a rare chance to see for themselves in person the first handwritten draft of the dystopian novel, as well as other materials that reveal the creative and commercial processes of Atwood’s work, including early test shots of actor Elisabeth Moss in costume for the television production.

Margaret Atwood, a U of T alumna, shares Booker Prize for sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale

davidlee1 — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 14:11:37 +0000

Margaret Atwood, a U of T alumna, shares Booker Prize for sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale

davidlee1 Tue, 10/15/2019 - 10:11

Cutline

(photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic via Getty Images)

Topic

Global Lens

Alumni

Awards

Faculty of Arts & Science

Literature

Margaret Atwood

Victoria College

Acclaimed author Margaret Atwood, a ��Ƶ alumna, has won the 2019 Booker Prize for her dystopian thriller The Testaments, her follow-up to The Handmaid’s Tale.

In an unexpected turn of events, Atwood, 79, shared the prize with British author Bernardine Evaristo, who was honoured for her book of Black women’s stories Girl, Woman, Other.

A graduate of Victoria College who has a long relationship with U of T, Atwood said she planned to donate her share of the prize money to a scholarship for Indigenous students in environmental studies, the CBC reported. She previously won the Booker in 2000 for The Blind Assassin.

Founded in 1969, the Booker is awarded to English-language authors whose works are published in the United Kingdom. It has been split between two winners only twice before – most recently in 1992, when U of T alumnus Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient and Barry Unsworth’s Sacred Hunger shared the honour.

Artists and scholars come together to re-tell history for Canada 150

ullahnor — Fri, 12 May 2017 17:16:43 +0000

Artists and scholars come together to re-tell history for Canada 150

ullahnor Fri, 05/12/2017 - 13:16

Cutline

Author Margaret Atwood and poet George Elliott Clarke are featured in public conversations at the National Gallery and University of Ottawa

Sean Bettam

Author legacy

Sean Bettam

Topic

City & Culture

Margaret Atwood

Canada 150

George Elliott Clarke

Indigenous

History

Humanities

Celebrated author and ��Ƶ alumnus Margaret Atwood and U of T professor and poet George Elliott Clarke will join other renowned artists and scholars to challenge and re-narrate the history of Canada in its sesquicentennial year.

In two separate public events in Ottawa, Atwood and Clarke, together with artist Kent Monkman, cellist Cris Derksen, and environmentalist Leah Kostamo will take the stage to present their work for Restorying Canada: Religion and Public Memory. The three-day conference will also bring in scholars from across Canada and beyond to examine how religion has been remembered and forgotten in Canada's history.

Two public events anchor the conference:

Decolonizing the Canon on Thursday May 18 at the National Gallery of Canada features Clarke – Canada’s poet Laureate and the E.J. Pratt Professor of Canadian Literature in U of T's department of English – Juno Award-nominated Cree-Mennonite cellist Derksen, and internationally renowned visual artist Monkman. Each artist will work within his or her genre to challenge what it means and feels to remember the country’s history, and re-narrate and resist the colonial story of Canada.
The Future of Religion in Canada: Utopia or Dystopia? on Friday May 19 at the University of Ottawa features a conversation between Atwood and Christian environmental activist Kostamo. It explores the rich, complex portrayal of religion as a powerful, yet ambiguous force with the potential to both renew and shatter, bringing liberation and oppression, hope and fear. While Atwood’s writing across five decades – including the now televised The Handmaid’s Tale – explores the past, present and dys/utopian future of religion in Canada, Kostamo provides a counter example of religious commitments to environmental restoration through the lens of Christianity.

“The public events offer a curated provocation to the conference proceedings,” said Professor Pamela Klassen of U of T's department for the study of religion, who co-organized the conference with Emma Anderson at the University of Ottawa and Hillary Kaell at Concordia University for Canada 150. “We’re in a time when Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale is being revitalized on screen, while its warnings about threats to women’s freedom are coming true in legislatures and houses of congress around the world.

“My hope is that audiences will gain a deeper understanding of how religion has shaped the ways we imagine and inhabit the nation of Canada, at a moment when reconciliation, decolonization, nation-to-nation relations with Indigenous nations, and the spectre of new kinds of religious prejudice are all in play,” said Klassen.

Tickets for Decolonizing the Canon and The Future of Religion in Canada: Utopia or Dystopia? are $18 for adults and $12 for students, plus taxes, for each event.

Margaret Atwood comes to U of T for Canadian premiere of “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Romi Levine — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 18:28:58 +0000

Margaret Atwood comes to U of T for Canadian premiere of “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Romi Levine Thu, 04/27/2017 - 14:28

Cutline

Margaret Atwood answers questions from the audience at Innis College (photo by Romi Levine)

Romi Levine

Author legacy

Romi Levine

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Writer

Margaret Atwood

Subheadline

“Now we have the election of Mr. Trump – that has changed things radically in the way people view this book”

When the producers of the television adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s famed novel The Handmaid’s Tale began developing the series, they didn’t realize how closely it would follow the political realities of the United States over the past year.

“The entire cast of the series woke up on Nov. 9th and looked at each other and said, in essence, ‘We are no longer in a fiction,’” Atwood told a full house of ��Ƶ students, faculty, staff and media at Innis College on Wednesday for the Canadian premiere of the first episode of the series.

The event was organized as part of Innis College’s Canada 150 celebrations by U of T’s writing and rhetoric program in partnership with Bravo, which airs the show in Canada, and Ryerson University.

“I was very lucky,” said Atwood about working closely with the show’s writers and showrunner Bruce Miller, who wanted to stay faithful to the novel while updating it to reflect the modern day.

Read about Fisher Library's collection of Atwood's archives on the novel

Elisabeth Moss plays Offred in the TV adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale (photo courtesy of Bravo)

This involved making some changes to the characters themselves – like casting the commander and his wife younger than in the book (to increase the tension, she said) – and depicting interracial relationships.

“There are many more intersectional friendships, relationships, kids with two different kinds of parents – that is happening now in cities,” said Atwood.

It made sense for the show to reflect that, Atwood said, while at the same time acknowledging that everything that happens in the narrative’s near-future has roots in the past.

“There's a lot of guidance in the historical notes as to where these things came from in real life because it was my rule not to put anything in that did not have a precedent somewhere at some time,” she said.

The past has also informed how The Handmaid’s Tale is interpreted – changing its meaning depending on when it was read or watched, said Atwood.

“Now we have the election of Mr. Trump – that has changed things radically in the way people view this book,” she said.

Similar to events that take place in the novel, people in the U.S. are now grappling with the rolling back of reproductive rights in certain states, said Atwood.

“You probably noticed that the Texas legislature had a visitation of handmaids who went and sat in it while a bunch of guys were deciding what to do with women's bodies,” Atwood told the audience. “They just sat there. There's a picture of them [see below] sitting there surrounded by men with guns that could be a still right out of the television series.”

2 DPS officers, Senate door guy & sergeant at arms have positioned themselves around a group of #handmaidstale activists in Senate #txlege pic.twitter.com/UC54ZlULQd
— Alexa Garcia-Ditta (@agarciaditta) March 20, 2017

“The [television series] acquired more gravitas,” she said. “The reviews have been universally spectacular, and I have to think that is in part a relation to the political situation they've gotten themselves in. It's no longer a thing you can brush off and deny.”

At the time of writing the novel, it was the height of the Cold War, which offered a different kind of political tension. The newspaper clippings on the news events that influenced The Handmaid’s Tale as well as Atwood’s original handwritten notes can be found at U of T’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library in the author's extensive archives.

Atwood said she found the archives helped to organize her life’s work and allowed her to easily access items from decades ago that might influence future works.

“They have them all nicely arranged and labeled if I need to remember something – like what the heck was I thinking back in 1984. I went into them myself recently and there it all was. It all sort of comes back to you,” she said.

“They've acquired a quaint, analog ambience,” she joked. “They're on paper, and I was writing in ink and also with a typewriter – don't you think it's quite archaic, antique and sort of cute?”

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Margaret Atwood's handwritten first draft at U of T's Fisher Library

Romi Levine — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 20:30:35 +0000

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Margaret Atwood's handwritten first draft at U of T's Fisher Library

Romi Levine Mon, 04/24/2017 - 16:30

Cutline

‘The Handmaid's Tale’ has been translated into numerous languages in countries around the world. Copies of the novel from Iran, Canada, Germany and China (photo by Romi Levine)

Romi Levine

Author legacy

Romi Levine

Topic