Margaret Atwood  is  laureate of the “Golden Wreath” Award of Struga Poetry Evenings for 2016

Biography

Margaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa, and grew up in northern Ontario and Quebec, and in Toronto. She received her undergraduate degree from Victoria College at the University of Toronto and her master’s degree from Radcliffe College.

Margaret Atwood is the author of more than forty volumes of poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and non-fiction, but is best known for her novels, which include The Edible Woman (1969), The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), The Robber Bride (1994), Alias Grace (1996), and The Blind Assassin, which won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2000. Her latest work is a book of short stories called Stone Mattress: Nine Tales (2014). Her newest novel, MaddAddam (2013), is the final volume in a three-book series that began with the Man-Booker prize-nominated Oryx and Crake (2003) and continued with The Year of the Flood (2009). The Tent (mini-fictions) and Moral Disorder (short fiction) both appeared in 2006. Her most recent volume of poetry, The Door, was published in 2007. In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination, a collection of non-fiction essays appeared in 2011. Her non-fiction book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth was adapted for the screen in 2012. Ms. Atwood’s work has been published in more than forty languages, including Farsi, Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, Korean, Icelandic and Estonian.

Margaret Atwood currently lives in Toronto with writer Graeme Gibson.

Full Bibliography

Novels:
  • The Edible Woman; McClelland & Stewart, 1969; Andre Deutsch, 1969; Atlantic Little-Brown, 1970.
  • Surfacing; McClelland & Stewart, 1972; Andre Deutsch, 1973; Simon & Schuster, 1973.
  • Lady Oracle; McClelland & Stewart, Simon & Schuster, Deutsch, 1976.
  • Life Before Man; McClelland & Stewart, 1979; Simon & Schuster, Cape, 1980.
  • Bodily Harm; McClelland & Stewart, 1981; Simon & Schuster, Cape, 1981.
  • The Handmaid’s Tale; McClelland & Stewart, Houghton Mifflin, 1985; Cape, 1985.
  • Cat’s Eye; McClelland & Stewart, 1988; Doubleday, 1989; Bloomsbury, 1989.
  • The Robber Bride; McClelland & Stewart, 1993; Bloomsbury, 1993; Doubleday, 1993.
  • Alias Grace; McClelland & Stewart, 1996; Bloomsbury, 1996; Doubleday, 1996.
  • The Blind Assassin; McClelland & Stewart, 2000; Bloomsbury, 2000; Doubleday, 2000.
  • Oryx and Crake; McClelland & Stewart, 2003; Bloomsbury, 2003; Doubleday, 2003.
  • The Penelopiad; Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2005; Canongate, 2005.
  • The Year of the Flood; McClelland & Stewart, 2009; Bloomsbury, 2009; Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2009.
  • MaddAddam; McClelland & Stewart, 2013; Bloomsbury, 2013; Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2013.

Short Fiction:

  • Dancing Girls; McClelland & Stewart, S&S, 1977; Cape, 1979.
  • Murder in the Dark; Coach House Press, 1983.
  • Bluebeard’s Egg; McClelland & Stewart, 1983; Houghton Mifflin, 1985.
  • Wilderness Tips; McClelland & Stewart, 1991; Doubleday, 1991; Bloomsbury, 1991.
  • Good Bones; Coach House Press, 1992; Bloomsbury, 1992; Doubleday, 1994.
  • The Tent; McClelland & Stewart, 2006; Bloomsbury, 2006; Doubleday, 2006.
  • Moral Disorder; McClelland & Stewart, 2006; Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2006; Bloomsbury, 2006.
  • Stone Mattress: Nine Tales, McClelland & Stewart, 2014; Bloomsbury, 2014; Nan Talese / Doubleday, 2014

Children’s Books:

  • Up in the Tree; McClelland & Stewart, 1978.
  • Anna’s Pet (with Joyce Barkhouse); James Lorimer & Co., 1980.
  • For the Birds; Douglas & McIntyre, 1990.
  • Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut; Key Porter, 1995; Workman Publishing, 1995.
  • Rude Ramsay and the Roaring Radishes; Key Porter, 2003; Bloomsbury, 2003.
  • Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda; Key Porter, 2004; Bloomsbury, 2004.
  • Up in the Tree (facsimile reprint); Groundwood Books, 2006.
  • Wandering Wenda and Widow Wallop’s Wunderground Washery; McArthur & Co., 2011.

Poetry:

  • The Circle Game; Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1964; Contact Press, 1966; Anansi, 1967.
  • The Animals in That Country; Oxford University Press, 1969; Atlantic Little-Brown, 1968.
  • The Journals of Susanna Moodie; Oxford, 1970 illus. by Margaret Atwood; illus. by Charlie Pachter, Macfarlane, Walter & Ross, 1997.
  • Procedures for Underground; Oxford, 1970; Atlantic Little-Brown, 1970.
  • Power Politics; Anansi, 1971; Harper & Row, 1973.
  • You Are Happy; Oxford, 1974; Harper & Row, 1975.
  • Selected Poems; Oxford, 1976; Simon & Schuster, 1978.
  • Selected Poems, 1965-1975; Houghton Mifflin, Oxford, 1976.
  • Two-Headed Poems; Oxford, 1978.
  • True Stories; Oxford, 1981.
  • Interlunar; Oxford, 1984.
  • Selected Poems II: Poems Selected and New, 1976-1986; Oxford, 1986; Houghton Mifflin, 1987.
  • Selected Poems 1966-1984; Oxford University Press, 1990.
  • Margaret Atwood Poems 1976-1986; Virago Press Limited, 1991.
  • Morning in the Burned House; McClelland & Stewart, 1995; Houghton Mifflin, 1995, Virago Press, 1995.
  • Eating Fire: Selected Poetry 1965-1995; Virago, 1998.
  • The Door; McClelland & Stewart, 2007; Houghton Mifflin 2007; Virago 2007.

Non-Fiction:

  • Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature; Anansi, 1972. Reprinted 2012.
  • Days of the Rebels 1815-1840; Toronto, Natural Science of Canada, 1977.
  • Second Words: Selected Critical Prose; Anansi, 1982.
  • Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature; Oxford University Press, 1995.
  • Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing; Cambridge University Press, 2002.
  • Moving Targets: Writing with Intent 1982-2004; Anansi, 2004.
  • Curious Pursuits: Occasional Writing; Virago, 2005.
  • Writing with Intent: Essays, Reviews, Personal Prose 1983-2005; Carroll & Graf, 2005.
  • Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth; Anansi, 2008.
  • In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination; Signal/McClelland & Stewart, 2011; Virago, 2011; Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2011.

Small Press Editions:

Poetry:

  • Double Persephone; Hawkshead Press, 1961; pamphlet.
  • Kaleidoscopes Baroque: a poem; Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1965.
  • Talismans for Children; Crankbrook Academy of Art, 1965.
  • Speeches for Doctor Frankenstein; Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1966.
  • Marsh, Hawk; Dreadnaught, 1977.
  • Notes Towards a Poem that Can Never be Written; Salamader Press, 1981.
  • Snake Poems; Salamander Press, 1983.

Fiction:

  • Encounters with the Element Man; Concord, New Hampshire, Ewert, 1982.
  • Unearthing Suite; Grand Union Press, 1983.
  • Bottle; Hay Festival, 2004.
  • I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth; The Walrus / Coach House Press, 2012.

Television Scripts:

  • “The Servant Girl”, CBC, 1974.
  • “Snowbird”, 1981.
  • “Heaven on Earth” (with Peter Pearson), 1986.

Radio Scripts:

  • “The Trumpets of Summer”, CBC Radio, 1964.

Recordings:

  • “The Poetry and Voice of Margaret Atwood”, Caedmon, 1977.
  • “Margaret Atwood reads from The Handmaid’s Tale”, Caedmon, 1985.
  • “Margaret Atwood reads Unearthing Suite”, American Audio Prose Library, 1985.
  • Rude Ramsay and the Roaring Radishes, Bloomsbury, 2006.
  • “Margaret Atwood reads from The Door”, Houghton Mifflin, 2007.

Edited:

  • The Best American Short Stories (with Shannon Ravenel); Houghton Mifflin, 1989.
  • The Canlit Foodbook; Totem Books (Collins Publishers), 1987.
  • The New Oxford Book of Canadian Verse in English; Oxford University Press, 1982.
  • The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories in English (with Robert Weaver); Oxford University Press, 1986.
  • The New Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories in English (with Robert Weaver); Oxford University Press, 1995.

Theatre:

  • The Penelopiad – The Play; Produced by NAC / RSC; Script by Faber & Faber, 2007.

Ms. Atwood’s reviews and critical articles have appeared in Canadian Literature, Maclean’s, Saturday Night, This Magazine, New York Times Book Review, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, The Toronto Star, The Nation, Books In Canada, The Washington Post, The Harvard Educational Review, and many others.

Ms. Atwood’s work has been translated into French, German, Italian, Urdu, Estonian, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian, Catalan, Turkish, Russian, Finnish, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Japanese, Icelandic, Spanish, Hebrew, and several other languages. All of the fiction is available in paperback in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.

Surfacing was produced as a film by a Canadian production company in 1981. The Handmaid’s Tale was adapted for the screen by Harold Pinter, directed by Volker Schlorndorf and released in 1990, starring Natasha Richardson and Robert Duvall. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is premiering a performance based on the same novel in 2013. The Robber Bride was adapted as a TV movie featuring Mary Louise Parker in 2007.

Awards & Recognitions

Margaret Atwood has been recognized internationally for her work through awards and honourary degrees.

1960-1969:

  • E.J. Pratt Medal, 1961
  • President’s Medal, University of Western Ontario, 1965
  • Governor General’s Award: Circle Game, 1966
  • Centennial Commission Poetry Competition, First, 1967
  • Union Poetry Prize, Poetry (Chicago), 1969

1970-1979:

  • Officer, Order of Canada, 1973
  • The Bess Hoskins Prize, Poetry (Chicago), 1974
  • The City of Toronto Book Award, 1977
  • The Canadian Bookseller’s Association Award, 1977
  • Periodical Distributors of Canada Short Fiction, 1977
  • St. Lawrence Award for Fiction, 1978

1980-1989:

  • Radcliffe Graduate medal, 1980
  • Molson Award, 1981
  • Guggenheim Fellowship, 1981
  • Companion of the Order of Canada, 1981
  • Welsh Arts Council International Writer’s Prize, 1982
  • Periodical Distributors of Canada and the Foundation for The Advancement of Canadian Letters Book of the Year Award 1983
  • Ida Nudel Humanitarian Award, 1986
  • Toronto Arts Award, 1986
  • Governor General’s Award, The Handmaid’s Tale 1986
  • Los Angeles Times Fiction Award, 1986
  • Ms. Magazine, Woman of the Year, 1986
  • Short-listed for the Booker Prize (England), 1987
  • Short-listed for the Ritz Hemingway Prize (Paris), 1987
  • Arthur C. Clarke Award for best Science Fiction, 1987
  • Commonwealth Literary Prize, Regional winner, 1987
  • Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Silver Medal, Best Article of the Year, 1987
  • Humanist of the Year Award, 1987
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, 1987
  • YWCA Women of Distinction Award, 1988
  • National Magazine Award for Environmental Journalism, First Prize, 1988
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Foreign Honourary Member, Literature, 1988
  • Cat’s Eye, Torgi Talking Book (CNIB), 1989
  • Cat’s Eye, City of Toronto Book Award, 1989
  • Cat’s Eye, Coles Book of the Year, 1989
  • Canadian Booksellers Association Author of the Year 1989
  • Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters / Periodical Marketers of Canada Book of the Year 1989 for Cat’s Eye
  • Short-listed for the Booker Prize (England), 1989

1990-1999:

  • Order of Ontario, 1990
  • Centennial Medal, Harvard University, 1990
  • Trillium Award for Excellence in Ontario writing, for Wilderness Tips, 1992
  • John Hughes Prize, from the Welsh Development Board, 1992
  • Book of the Year Award from the Periodical Marketers of Canada, for Wilderness Tips, 1992
  • Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation, 1992
  • Canadian Authors’ Association Novel of the Year,  for The Robber Bride, 1993
  • Trillium Award for Excellence in Ontario Writing (The Robber Bride), 1994
  • Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Canadian and Caribbean Region, for The Robber Bride, 1994
  • Government of France’s Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, 1994
  • Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence (The Robber Bride, London U.K.), 1994
  • Swedish Humour Association’s International Humourous Writer Award, 1995
  • Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1995
  • Trillium Award for Excellence in Ontario writing, for Morning in the Burned House, 1995
  • Norwegian Order of Literary Merit, 1996
  • Short-listed for the Booker Prize for Alias Grace, 1996
  • The Giller Prize for Alias Grace, 1996
  • Canadian Booksellers Association Author of the Year, 1996
  • National Arts Club Medal of Honor for Literature, U.S.A., 1997
  • Premio Mondello for Alias Grace, Italy, 1997
  • Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1997
  • Salon Magazine Best Fiction of the Year for Alias Grace, 1997
  • Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1998
  • London Literature Award, 1999
  • Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 1999

2000-2010:

  • Best Local Author, NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 2000
  • Winner Booker Prize for The Blind Assassin, 2000
  • Nominated for the Orange Prize, 2001
  • International Crimewriters Assocation Dashiell Hammett Award, 2001
  • Canadian Booksellers Association People’s Choice Award, 2001
  • Short-listed for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for The Blind Assassin, 2002
  • NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 2003
  • The Radcliffe Medal, 2003
  • Harold Washington Literary Award, 2003
  • Short-listed for the Man Booker Prize for Oryx and Crake, 2003
  • Short-listed for the Giller Prize for Oryx and Crake, 2003
  • Short-listed for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction for Oryx and Crake, 2003
  • Short-listed for the Orange Prize for Oryx and Crake, 2004
  • NOW Magazine Readers’ Poll, 2004
  • Short-listed for the Booker International Prize, 2005
  • Banff Centre’s National Arts Award, 2005
  • Edinburgh’s International Book Festival Enlightenment Award, 2005
  • Chicago Tribune Literary Prize, 2005
  • Markets Initiative Order of the Forest, 2006
  • Short-listed for Booker International Prize, 2007
  • Winner Blue Metropolis Literary Grand Prix, Montreal, 2007
  • Finalist, Gov. General’s Literary Award for The Door, 2007
  • Kenyon Review Literary Achievement Award, USA, 2007
  • Honourary Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, 2007
  • Prince of Asturias Award for Letters, Spain, 2008

2010- :

  • Prince of Asturias Award for Letters, Spain, 2008
  • Crystal Award, World Economic Forum, Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 2010
  • Nelly Sachs Prize, Dortmund, Germany, 2010
  • Dan David Prize for Literature, 2011
  • Sun Life Financial Arts & Communications Award: 2011 Canada’s Most Powerful Women, Top 100
  • Governor General of Canada’s Golden Jubilee Medal, 2012
  • Canadian Booksellers’ Lifetime Achievement Award, 2012
  • Nashville Public Library Foundation Literary Award, 2012
  • Companion, Royal Society of Literature, 2012
  • L.A. Times Innovator’s Award, 2013
  • Heart and Vision Award, Toronto United Church Council, 2013
  • President’s Medal (with Graeme Gibson), BirdLife International, 2013
  • 2014 Harvard Arts Medal
  • 2014 Orion Book Award for MaddAddam (fiction)
  • Toronto Botanical Gardens Aster Award, 2014
  • Institute for Arts & Humanities Medal, Pennsylvania State University, 2014
  • Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award, 2015
  • Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story (Stone Mattress: Nine Tales), 2015
  • Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society, 2015
  • The Royal Canadian Geographical Society Gold Medal Award for Outstanding Service to Literature and Geography, 2015
  • Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage, University Philosophical Society, Trinity College, Dublin, 2016
  • Kitschies Red Tentacle award for The Heart Goes Last for most progressive, intelligent and entertaining novel of the year, 2016

Honorary Degrees:

Trent University, 1973; Queen’s University, 1974; Concordia, 1980; Smith College, Mass., 1982; University of Toronto, 1983; University of Waterloo, 1985; University of Guelph, 1985; Mount Holyoke College, 1985; Victoria College, 1987; Université de Montréal, 1991; University of Leeds, 1994; McMaster University, 1996; Lakehead University, 1998; Oxford University, 1998; Cambridge University, 2001; Algoma University, 2001; Harvard University, 2004; Sorbonne Nouvelle 2005; Literary and Historical Society, University College Dublin 2005; Ontario College of Art and Design, 2009; National University of Ireland, 2011; Ryerson University, 2012; Royal Military College, 2012. Doctor Honoris Causa by the Faculty of English Language and Literature, School of Philosophy of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 2013. Doctor of Letters, University of Edinburgh, 2014.