Overview

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • How does the greatest writer of our time tell her own story? NAMED A NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES AND THE WASHINGTON POST ""The most spectacular, hilarious, and generous autobiography of the last quarter century–or ever.""—The Boston Globe Raised by scientifically minded parents, Margaret Atwood spent most of each year in the wild forest of northern Quebec: a vast playground for her entomologist father and independent, resourceful mother. It was an unfettered and nomadic childhood, sometimes isolated but also thrilling and beautiful. From this unconventional start, Atwood unfolds the story of her life, linking key moments to the books that have shaped our literary landscape, from the cruel school year that would become Cat’s Eye to the unease of 1980s Berlin, where she began The Handmaid’s Tale. In pages alive with the natural world, reading and books, major political turning points, and her lifelong love for the charismatic writer Graeme Gibson, we meet poets, bears, Hollywood stars, and larger-than-life characters straight from the pages of an Atwood novel. As she explores her past, Atwood reveals more and more about her writing, the connections between real life and art—and the workings of one of our very greatest imaginations.

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Reviews

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE CHIGACO TRIBUNE, TIME MAGAZINE, PEOPLE, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, GOODREADS, LITHUB, AND MORE ""Atwood's long-awaited memoir covers her arc to becoming one of the leading voices of modern literature."" —NY Mag ""Engaging, wise, and marvelously witty—illuminating both the craft of writing and the art of living."" —Kirkus (Starred Review)

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE CHIGACO TRIBUNE, TIME MAGAZINE, PEOPLE, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, GOODREADS, LITHUB, AND MORE “The most spectacular, hilarious, and generous autobiography of the last quarter century–or ever.” —Leigh Haber, The Boston Globe “Atwood's long-awaited memoir covers her arc to becoming one of the leading voices of modern literature.” —New York Magazine “Charming, interesting and witty . . . Packed with dishy tales . . . Scintillating portraits of major and minor characters are one of Atwood’s specialties.” —Marion Winik, The Minnesota Star Tribune “Luminous prose, a palpable lust for life, and an invaluable glimpse into the mind of a literary giant make this a must-read.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Engaging, wise, and marvelously witty—illuminating both the craft of writing and the art of living.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Virtuoso, protean, forthright, and astute . . . Atwood is one of the world’s most significant writers and her capacious memoir deeply illuminates her life and work. . . . Encompassing, surprising, and entertaining . . . Electric with portraits of family, friends, beaux, and foes . . . A keystone source for biographers and scholars while delighting and enlightening readers curious about [her] life.” —Donna Seaman, Booklist (starred review)

Author Information

Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. Her novels include Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, and the MaddAddam trilogy. Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid’s Tale, was followed in 2019 by a sequel, The Testaments, which was a global number one bestseller and won the Booker Prize. Atwood has won numerous awards, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the PEN America Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. In 2019, she was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to literature. She lives in Toronto.

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