Who is Margaret Atwood and what is her place in Canadian literature?

Margaret Atwood (born November 18, 1939 in Ottawa) is one of Canada's most influential authors. She has published about 50 works including novels, poetry, short fiction, non-fiction, children's literature, and graphic novels. Notable works include 'The Handmaid's Tale' (1985, the dystopian novel adapted as a popular Hulu television series in 2017 and earning Atwood worldwide renown), 'Cat's Eye' (1988), 'The Blind Assassin' (2000, winner of the Booker Prize), 'Oryx and Crake' (2003, the first volume of the MaddAddam trilogy), 'The Robber Bride' (1993), 'Alias Grace' (1996, also adapted as a Netflix series in 2017), and 'The Testaments' (2019, winner of the Booker Prize). Atwood has helped shape modern Canadian literature and feminist literary tradition.

Atwood was born in Ottawa to entomologist Carl Atwood and Margaret Killam Atwood. She spent extended periods of her childhood in the bush of northern Quebec and Ontario where her father conducted research, an experience that shaped much of her writing about Canadian wilderness and identity. She received a BA in English from Victoria College, University of Toronto in 1961 and a Master's degree from Radcliffe College, Harvard University in 1962. She taught English literature at various Canadian universities through the 1960s and 1970s.

Atwood's literary career began with the poetry collection 'Double Persephone' (1961, winner of the E.J. Pratt Medal). 'The Circle Game' (1966) won the 1966 Governor General's Literary Award. Her first novel, 'The Edible Woman' (1969), established her literary reputation. 'Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature' (1972) was a foundational work of Canadian literary criticism. Her later novels include 'Surfacing' (1972), 'Lady Oracle' (1976), 'Life Before Man' (1979), 'Bodily Harm' (1981), 'The Handmaid's Tale' (1985), 'Cat's Eye' (1988), 'The Robber Bride' (1993), 'Alias Grace' (1996), 'The Blind Assassin' (2000), 'Oryx and Crake' (2003), 'The Year of the Flood' (2009), 'MaddAddam' (2013), 'The Heart Goes Last' (2015), 'Hag-Seed' (2016), and 'The Testaments' (2019).

Atwood has received numerous awards. She has won the Booker Prize twice ('The Blind Assassin' 2000 and 'The Testaments' 2019). She has won the Governor General's Literary Award twice (1966 for 'The Circle Game' and 1985 for 'The Handmaid's Tale'). She has been a Companion of the Order of Canada since 1981 and a Companion of Honour (UK) since 2018. She received the Franz Kafka Prize (2017), the PEN America Allen Foundation Literary Service Award (2017), and many other honours. Atwood has been a central figure in shaping the international reputation of Canadian literature and in influencing contemporary feminist fiction. Her invention of 'speculative fiction' as a category distinct from science fiction has shaped literary discourse. Atwood has remained literarily active into her 80s, publishing her latest novel 'Old Babes in the Wood' (short-story collection, 2023) and a poetry collection in 2024.