MARGARET ATWOOD

Margaret Eleanor Atwood was born on November 18, 1939 in Ottawa, Ontario . She is a child of Carl Edmond and Margaret Dorothy Killam Atwood. Her father was an entomologist and the young Atwood spent a lot of time with him in the vast nature of Northern Quebec . Her mother was a college-educated dietitian. At that time, it was uncommon for a woman to go to college and pursue a career. However, her parents encouraged Atwood to read and taught her the importance of education. Her parent's parenting had a significant influence on Atwood's life as a writer. By the age of five, she had already started writing. She was home-schooled until she was eighth grade. As a result, she became addicted to reading and developed her interest in writing.

She attended Leaside High School in Toronto, where she wrote poetry for the school's news paper. She decided to become a poet when she was 16 years old. In her autobiographical essay, Atwood describes the moment when she made the decision to become a poet; she was walking on the field on her way home from school, and all of a sudden she had "the descent of the large thumb of poetry" on the top of her head. She continues, "A poem formed...It was a gift, this poem -- a gift from an anonymous donor" (Atwood).

In 1957, she entered Victoria College in Toronto University where she met an influential English professor, Northrop Frye. He was also a famous literary critic at that time. He stressed the true value of Canadian literature, which was not fully appreciated either in Canada or outside of the country. She was greatly inspired and influenced by Frye. Encouraged by his philosophy and works, Atwood decided to go on to a graduate study in English Literature at Radcliffe College, all girl college at Harvard University .

While she was attending Toronto University, her first collection of poetry called Double Persephone was published. She constantly continued to publish her work of writing while she was in college. After completing her graduate study at Harvard, she devoted herself in teaching and lecturing. Atwood received Canada's highest literary honor at the age of twenty seven. She won the Governor's General Award in 1966 for a collection of poetry, The Circle Game. She worked at a publishing house in Toronto as an editor. There, she explored a new type of writing -- criticism. Survival appeared in 1971 and was a reflection of her editing job. She lived in various places including the United States, Australia, England, France, Italy, and Germany. Her traveling experience in Europe also had profound influence on her later works. In 1985, she won her second Governor's General Award for the novel, The Handmaid's Tail.

She is unquestionably one of the most recognized and talented living writers in Canada. Her exceptional talent won her numbers of awards, including Canada's most honorable Governor's General Award, (Circle Game in 1967 The Handmaid's Tail.) Los Angeles Times Prize for Fiction, Booker Prize, and Welsh Arts International Writer Prize. She is a writer but also a novelist, poet, screenwriter, editor, book critic, actress, and teacher. Themes in her writing range greatly from the nature of  men and womens' relationships, political issues, to national identity. She currently resides in Toronto with her writer husband, Graeme Gibson and continues to write books and poetry.

Return to Stories