Margaret Atwood (Canadian, b. 1939)
Throughout her career, Margaret Atwood has alternated between writing prose and poetry. Both are explorations of identity and societal satire. Her main characters are usually contemporary urban women who have social or professional commitments and are frequently writers or artists that then struggle for self-preservation and survival.
Atwood was born and raised in Quebec, where she developed a love of writing at a young age. She pursued her undergraduate studies at Victoria College at the University of Toronto, where she graduated in 1961. The next year, she completed her master’s degree at Radcliffe. Atwood continued her career by becoming a professor at numerous colleges and institutions in Canada and the US. The Circle Game (1966), The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), The Blind Assassin (2000), and Oryx and Crake (2003) are only a few of the acclaimed books, short stories, and poetry she has produced.
