It’s finally time for Margaret Atwood to tell her own story

In 'Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts', Margaret Atwood recounts her life from her nomadic childhood in northern Quebec to her experiences as a writer, weaving together personal stories with the influences that have shaped her literary works. The memoir explores her relationships, political activism, and the intersection of life and art.

The novel is set in a near-future New England in the Republic of Gilead, a patriarchal, totalitarian state that has overthrown the United States government. Offred, the narrator, is one of the 'Handmaids', women who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the ruling class, known as 'Commanders'. The story explores themes of powerless women, loss of female agency and individuality, and the suppression of women's reproductive rights. Offred's life is marked by her restrictive routine, her memories of her past life, and her interactions with the Commander, his wife Serena Joy, and other Handmaids, including her friend Ofglen who is part of an underground resistance movement. The novel is a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense.

Published in 1972, 'Survival' is a groundbreaking work that examines the central preoccupations of Canadian poetry and fiction, identifying 'survival and victims' as the core themes. Atwood applies this thesis in twelve chapters, analyzing works by various Canadian authors and offering new perspectives on familiar books. The book is distinguished by its effervescent and compulsively readable prose, making it a book of criticism, a manifesto, and a collection of personal and subversive remarks. It continues to shape the way Canadians look at themselves and their literature, highlighting the harsh physical environment, colonialism, and other obstacles that define Canadian writing.

In 'The End of History and the Last Man', Francis Fukuyama posits that with the ascendancy of Western liberal democracy following the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, humanity has reached the end point of its ideological evolution. Fukuyama draws on the philosophies of Hegel and Marx, arguing that history is a linear progression towards liberal democracy, driven by the mechanisms of natural science and the human desire for recognition (thymos). He contends that liberal democracy satisfies every man’s thymotic longing for dignity and recognition, making it the final form of human government. However, Fukuyama clarifies that this does not mean the end of historical events or conflicts, but rather that all future developments will be within the framework of liberal democracy.

In 'Cat's Eye', Margaret Atwood tells the story of Elaine Risley, a successful painter who returns to Toronto for a retrospective of her artwork. The narrative alternates between Elaine's middle-aged years and her childhood, where she was subjected to intense bullying by her friends, particularly the charismatic and manipulative Cordelia. Elaine develops various coping strategies, including self-harm and escapism through art, as she navigates the complexities of her relationships and the impact of her childhood experiences on her adult life. The book explores themes of bullying, parental handling of such situations, and the long-term effects of childhood trauma on personal development and empathy.

The Blind Assassin is a historical fiction novel by Margaret Atwood, set primarily in the 1930s and 1940s. It follows the lives of sisters Iris and Laura Chase, weaving together multiple narratives that blur the lines between reality and fiction. The novel includes a novel within a novel, also titled 'The Blind Assassin', which is initially attributed to Laura but later revealed to be written by Iris based on her own experiences.

Margaret Atwood's 'The Edible Woman' explores the themes of societal expectations and female identity through the story of Marian McAlpin. Engaged to Peter, Marian finds herself increasingly repulsed by the idea of marriage and traditional roles. This aversion manifests physically as she begins to lose her appetite and associate food with a loss of self. Marian's journey becomes a symbolic refusal to be consumed by societal norms and expectations. The novel critiques consumer culture and the objectification of women, portraying Marian's struggle to reclaim her individuality.