Margaret Atwood, suddenly, is ubiquitous. Since the international fame resulting from the success of the television adaptation of her novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, in 2017, the celebrated author has made a deep impact on literature. Since then, she has been lauded as “a combination of figurehead, prophet and saint” for her insightful commentary on contemporary societal issues. Atwood continues this thread in a remarkable series of conversations with artists and thinkers like Ai Weiwei and Rebecca Solnit. The two unlikely collaborators turn a personal grief journey into a meditation on the whirling chaos of contemporary life.
Atwood’s literary career is a force that has prospered for more than 5 decades. In addition to essays and poetry, Morrison has created fictional worlds through dystopia and historical fiction that have earned international acclaim. Her talents run the gamut from history to sci-fi/fantasy, nature, and beyond, including topics like the Salem witch trials and the French Revolution. These currents are present across her deep bibliography, including her latest memoir, Book of Lives. In this critically acclaimed memoir, she recounts her unusual childhood spent in the Canadian wilderness. That experience has deeply informed her writing.
Growing up in a family of biologists, Atwood had an early and abiding fascination with the natural world. Her father and brother were both biologists, with her brother Graeme especially fervent in his love of birds. This biological upbringing has deepened Atwood’s understanding of the sex life of snails and endangered bird populations. She leads with innovation in her environmental efforts, using technology such as the Merlin bird identification app and iNaturalist app for citizen science projects.
Atwood’s interlocutors might find her somewhat didactic. Her abiding passion for the natural world drives her to teach children nature’s wondrous complexities—including lots of technical info on plants and animals—on all their journeys outdoors. These very traits help make her difference an asset when it comes to her work as a writer.
In these last few days, Atwood’s grim predictions for today’s world loomed large. She shines a light on how her past work has predicted the dystopian aspects that are becoming more prevalent in today’s world. She foretold these very things, including the banking crash, in her 2008 book Payback. This speaks to her tremendous ability to understand society: “This, my friends, is what great ….”
In addition to discussing dystopia, Atwood opened up during these conversations about her experience with personal loss. She spoke openly about her sorrow at losing her long-term partner, fellow novelist and activist Graeme Gibson, in 2019. This experience deeply informed not just her outlook on life and death, but her literary practice.
In a recent conversation with Ai Weiwei, we found ourselves talking about ideals and infrastructures. Ai Weiwei raised a provocative question about what “topple” means and what it means to talk about patriarchy in the present moment.
“Depends what you mean by topple (all men gone? Japanese female prime minister?) and what you mean by patriarchy (men rule everything? Men are taller, on average?)” – Ai Weiwei
These questions forced Atwood to contemplate the brisk changes in our society’s expectations of leadership, governance, and power itself.
Atwood’s passionate interaction with the natural world has taken root in her life, blossoming each year. She travels to the Arctic Circle and Pelee Island every spring to witness bird migrations. Her relationship to these journeys connects her directly to the nature that inspires her art and emphasizes the environmentalism often expressed in her artwork.
Poet, novelist, environmentalist, and activist, Atwood masterfully weaves her formidable cultural critique through written and spoken words. She remains a powerful force for advancing the causes of women, social justice, and protecting the earth. Her genius for weaving personal story with national zeitgeist has made her one of the most important literary voices of our time.