Margaret Atwood: How Did The Handmaid’s Tale Come Into Being?

She is one of the most influential writers in the world, and her
best-known novel "The Handmaid’s Tale" became an equally successful
series. Now Margaret Atwood is a guest on the endless podcast. A
German AI translation of this conversation can also be found on the
usual podcast platforms and here on www.zeit.de. It is available to
subscribers only. She talks about her childhood in the wilds of
Canada, about the dreams she still has today – and about her
international breakthrough as a bestselling author. She reflects on
her definition of feminism and on her hope for a better America:
“Donald Trump is in trouble.” She recalls how it came about that,
in 1984, she began writing her dystopian novel "The Handmaid’s
Tale" in West Berlin. The book appeared a year later, was first
adapted for film by Volker Schlöndorff in 1990, and from 2017
onward turned into an award-winning series. Margaret Atwood was
born in 1939 in Ottawa, Canada. She studied at the University of
Toronto and at Harvard, taught literature, and published poetry and
literary criticism. Her first novel, The Edible Woman, appeared in
1969. To this day she has published more than 60 books; most
recently "Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts", even though she never
wanted to write an autobiography. Margaret Atwood has received
numerous awards for her work, among them the Booker Prize (twice),
the Franz Kafka Prize, and the Peace Prize of the German Book
Trade. In the podcast, she remembers the first clothes she designed
for herself as a teenager, speaks about her husband, the
ornithologist and writer Graeme Gibson – and mentions that she
still reads books in German, most recently a volume of Bavarian
fairy tales. After 2 hours and 21 minutes, Margaret Atwood ends the
conversation – for on "Alles Gesagt?", only the guest may do so.
Produktion: Pool Artists Redaktion: Hannah Schraven, Sophie Hübner,
Sophia Hubel, Vincent Mank Gästemanagement: Jule Tautz, Paula
Georgi Fragen, Kritik, Anregungen? Schreiben Sie eine Mail
an allesgesagt@zeit.de. Seit dem 15.01.2025 sind Teile des
Archivs von Alles gesagt? nur noch exklusiv mit einem Digital- oder
Podcastabo der ZEIT zu hören – auf zeit.de, auf Apple Podcasts und
auf Spotify. Ein kostenloses Probeabo können Sie hier abschließen.
Wie Sie Ihr Abo mit Spotify oder Apple Podcasts verbinden, lesen
Sie hier. [ANZEIGE] Mehr über die Angebote unserer
Werbepartnerinnen und -partner finden Sie HIER. [ANZEIGE] Mehr
hören? Dann testen Sie unser Podcastabo mit Zugriff auf alle
Dokupodcasts und unser Podcastarchiv. Jetzt 4 Wochen kostenlos
testen. Und falls Sie uns nicht nur hören, sondern auch lesen
möchten, testen Sie jetzt 4 Wochen kostenlos DIE ZEIT. Hier geht's
zum Angebot.