Margaret Atwood

Post By Sarah Evans

Canada is home to many accomplished authors, poets, and essayists whose volumes of work have achieved international acclaim. However, none come to mind as quickly as our very own Margaret Atwood. Still working at the age of seventy-eight, Atwood has penned over forty fictional novels, critical essays and poems. She is perhaps best known to us for A Handmaid’s Tale, her brilliant examination of the place of a female in a dystopian society. This novel is a reading staple in many high school English classes, and has recently been adapted into a Bravo television series.

Born in Ottawa in 1939, Atwood spent her younger years growing up in northern Quebec and Ontario. She attended high school in Toronto, and after graduating went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Toronto. She then attended Radcliffe College, Harvard, where she earned her master’s degree. After finishing school she held many roles at various esteemed Canadian and American universities, including University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, York University, and New York University.

Over the course of her career, Atwood has received much global recognition for her work, earning her countless awards and honourary degrees. Through her distinct writing style, political commentary and follies into feminism, she has earned a spot for Canada on the international literary stage. She is a true Canadian icon, who shows no signs of slowing. She is truly one of 150 Canadian things to celebrate! 

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