Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa Margaret Atwood Reads from Her Memoir, Book Of Lives, Reflecting on the Origins of Offred In The Handmaid’s Tale
Nov 11, 2025
Dua Lipa chats with renowned Canadian novelist and poet Margaret Atwood, the mind behind The Handmaid's Tale and her new memoir, Book of Lives. Atwood shares fascinating insights into the origins of Offred, revealing the name's significance of ownership and its linguistic roots. She explores how Offred's journal fits within literary traditions, comparing it to plague accounts and samizdat literature. Their conversation dives deep into the intertwining of language, history, and power, offering a rich perspective on storytelling.
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Origins Of Offred
- Margaret Atwood recounts how The Handmaid's Tale began as a novel she considered since 1981 and initially shelved as too strange.
- She explains the novel's working title was Offred and outlines the handmaids' role and biblical parallel.
Readers Named Her June
- Atwood notes that readers and TV writers later chose the name June for Offred based on a single mention in the first chapter.
- She expresses acceptance of that choice and finds it sensible.
Name As Ownership
- Atwood analyzes the name Offred as constructed from 'of' plus a male name, reflecting ownership and lineage.
- She links this formation to naming traditions and the notion of being 'owned' rather than belonging.
