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
Netflix 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 for the streaming
service Netflix. 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.
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