Margaret Atwood

Atwood's Biography

Canadian Poet, Author

Canadian Author, poet, Canadian PERSONAL: Born November 18, 1939, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; daughter of Carl Edmund (an entomologist) and Margaret Dorothy (Killam) Atwood; married Graeme Gibson (a writer); children: Jess (daughter). Education: University of Toronto, B.A., 1961; Radcliffe College, A.M., 1962; Harvard University, graduate study, 1962-63 and 1965-67. Politics: "William Morrisite." Religion: "Immanent Transcendentalist." ADDRESSES: Agent--Phoebe Larmore, 2814 Third St., Santa Monica, CA. 90405. CAREER: Writer. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, lecturer in English literature, 1964-65; Sir George Williams University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, lecturer in English literature, 1967-68; York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assistant professor of English literature, 1971-72; House of Anansi Press, Toronto, editor and member of board of directors, 1971-73; University of Toronto, Toronto, writer-in-residence, 1972-73; University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, writer-in-residence, 1985; New York University, New York City, Berg Visiting Professor of English, 1986; Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia, writer-in-residence, 1987. Worked variously as camp counselor and waitress. MEMBER: PEN International, Amnesty International, Writers' Union of Canada (vice-chairperson, 1980-81), Royal Society of Canada (fellow), Canadian Civil Liberties Association (member of board, 1973-75), Canadian Centre, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (honorary member), Anglophone (president, 1984-85). AWARDS, HONOURS: E. J. Pratt Medal, 1961, for Double Persephone; President's Medal, University of Western Ontario, 1965; YWCA Women of Distinction Award, 1966 and 1968; Governor General's Award, 1966, for The Circle Game, and 1986, for The Handmaid's Tale; first prize in Canadian Centennial Commission Poetry Competition, 1967; Union Prize for poetry, 1969; Bess Hoskins Prize for poetry, 1969 and 1974; D.Litt., Trent University, 1973, Concordia University, 1980, Smith College, 1982, University of Toronto, 1983, Mount Holyoke College, 1985, University of Waterloo, 1985, and University of Guelph, 1985; LL.D., Queen's University, 1974; City of Toronto Book Award, 1977; Canadian Booksellers' Association Award, 1977; Periodical Distributors of Canada Short Fiction Award, 1977; St. Lawrence Award for fiction, 1978; Radcliffe Medal, 1980; selection as a notable book of 1980, American Library Association for Life before Man; Molson Award, 1981; Guggenheim fellowship, 1981; named Companion of the Order of Canada, 1981; International Writer's Prize, Welsh Arts Council, 1982; Book of the Year Award, Periodical Distributors of Canada and the Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters, 1983; Ida Nudel Humanitarian Award, 1986; Toronto Arts Award for writing and editing, 1986; Los Angeles Times Book Award, 1986, for The Handmaid's Tale; named Woman of the Year, Ms. magazine, 1986; Arthur C. Clarke Award, 1987; Commonwealth Literature Prize, 1987; Council for the Advancement and Support of Education silver medal, 1987; named Chatelaine magazine's Woman of the Year; City of Toronto Book Award, Coles Book of the Year Award, Canadian Booksellers' Association Author of the Year Award, Book of the Year Award Foundation for Advancement of Canadian Letters citation, Periodical Marketers of Canada Award, and Torgi Talking Book Award, all 1989, all for Cat's Eye; Harvard University Centennial Medal, 1990. WRITINGS: POEMS Double Persephone, Hawkshead Press, 1961. The Circle Game, Cranbrook Academy of Art (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan), 1964, revised edition, Contact Press, 1966. Kaleidoscopes Baroque: A Poem, Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1965. Talismans for Children, Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1965. Speeches for Doctor Frankenstein, Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1966. The Animals in That Country, Oxford University Press (Toronto), 1968, Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1969. The Journals of Susanna Moodie, Oxford University Press, 1970. Procedures for Underground, Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1970. Power Politics, House of Anansi Press, 1971, Harper, 1973. You Are Happy, Harper, 1974. Selected Poems, 1965-1975, Oxford University Press, 1976, Simon & Schuster, 1978. Marsh Hawk, Dreadnaught, 1977. Two-Headed Poems, Oxford University Press, 1978, Simon & Schuster, 1981. Notes Toward a Poem That Can Never Be Written, Salamander Press, 1981. True Stories, Oxford University Press, 1981, Simon & Schuster, 1982. Snake Poems, Salamander Press, 1983. Interlunar, Oxford University Press, 1984. Selected Poems II: Poems Selected and New, 1976-1986, Oxford University Press, 1986. Morning in the Burned House (poems), McClelland & Stewart, 1995. Also author of Expeditions, 1966, and What Was in the Garden, 1969. NOVELS The Edible Woman, McClelland & Stewart, 1969, Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1970. Surfacing, McClelland & Stewart, 1972, Simon & Schuster 1973. Lady Oracle, Simon & Schuster, 1976. Life before Man, McClelland & Stewart, 1979, Simon & Schuster, 1980. Bodily Harm, McClelland & Stewart, 1981, Simon & Schuster, 1982. Encounters with the Element Man, Ewert, 1982. Unearthing Suite, Grand Union Press, 1983. The Handmaid's Tale, McClelland & Stewart, 1985, Houghton, 1986. Cat's Eye, Doubleday, 1989. The Robber Bride, McClelland & Stewart, 1993, Doubleday, 1993. STORY COLLECTIONS Dancing Girls and Other Stories, McClelland & Stewart, 1977, Simon & Schuster, 1982. Bluebeard's Egg and Other Stories, McClelland & Stewart, 1983, Fawcett, 1987. Murder in the Dark: Short Fictions and Prose Poems, Coach House Press, 1983. Wilderness Tips and Other Stories, McClelland & Stewart, 1991. Good Bones, Coach House, 1992, published as Good Bones and Simple Murders, Doubleday, 1994. OTHER The Trumpets of Summer (radio play), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), 1964. Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature, House of Anansi Press, 1972. The Servant Girl (teleplay), CBC-TV, 1974. Days of the Rebels, 1815-1840, Natural Science Library, 1976. The Poetry and Voice of Margaret Atwood (recording), Caedmon, 1977. Up in the Tree (juvenile), McClelland & Stewart, 1978. (Author of introduction) Catherine M. Young, To See Our World, GLC Publishers, 1979, Morrow, 1980. (With Joyce Barkhouse) Anna's Pet (juvenile), James Lorimer, 1980. Snowbird (teleplay), CBC-TV, 1981. Second Words: Selected Critical Prose, House of Anansi Press, 1982. (Editor) The New Oxford Book of Canadian Verse in English, Oxford University Press, 1982. (Editor with Robert Weaver) The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories in English, Oxford University Press, 1986. (With Peter Person) Heaven on Earth (teleplay), CBC-TV, 1986. (Editor) The Canlit Foodbook, Totem, 1987. (Editor with Shannon Ravenal) The Best American Short Stories, 1989, Houghton, 1989. For the Birds, illustrated by John Bianchi, Firefly Books, 1991. Contributor to anthologies, including Five Modern Canadian Poets, 1970, The Canadian Imagination: Dimensions of a Literary Culture, Harvard University Press, 1977, and Women on Women, 1978. Contributor to periodicals, including Atlantic, Poetry, New Yorker, Harper's, New York Times Book Review, Saturday Night, Tamarack Review, and Canadian Forum. ADAPTATIONS: The Handmaid's Tale was filmed by Cinecom Entertainment Group, 1990.
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