Books from Margaret Atwood

Riddley Walker

Set in a remote future in a post-nuclear holocaust England (Inland), Hoban has imagined a humanity regressed to an iron-age, semi-literate state--and invented a language to represent it. Riddley is at once the Huck Finn and the Stephen Dedalus of his culture--rebel, change agent, and artist. Read again or for the first time this masterpiece of 20th-century literature with new material by the author.--From publisher description.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
I'm a big fan of this book called Ridley Walker, Russell Hoban.
Books from Margaret Atwood

The Future of Life

One of the world’s most important scientists, Edward O. Wilson is also an abundantly talented writer who has twice won the Pulitzer Prize. In this, his most personal and timely book to date, he assesses the precarious state of our environment, examining the mass extinctions occurring in our time and the natural treasures we are about to lose forever. Yet, rather than eschewing doomsday prophesies, he spells out a specific plan to save our world while there is still time. His vision is a hopeful one, as economically sound as it is environmentally necessary. Eloquent, practical and wise, this book should be read and studied by anyone concerned with the fate of the natural world.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
- Which books or publications would you recommend that young adults read today that would help them better understand the issues they face? - I would say they should all read The Future of Life by Edmund Osborne Wilson. But read the last chapter first because it’s more hopeful.
Books recommended by Margaret Atwood
3 books

3 Shocking Books to Read

Books that shocked Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood
Writer
Books that shocked Margaret Atwood
Books from Margaret Atwood

Donovan’s Brain

The SF classic novel of the terror that lurked in DONOVAN’S BRAIN.DEAD...Doomed by disease, then mangled in a plane crash, there was no doubt that Donovan was dead.YET...floating in a tank of nutrient, linked to complex apparatus, Donovan’s brain still lived...ALIVE...someone walked with Donovan’s gait, wrote his signature, knew his foulest secrets—and carried out his last, weirdest plan!“Donovan’s Brain is terrific!”—THE NEW YORK TIMES
Margaret Atwood
Writer
I joined the Paperback Book Club where they sent you a book every month and the one I remember most was called Donovan’s Brain. It was a science fiction one. That made a deep impression on me. I
Books from Margaret Atwood

Little

LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2020 LONGLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2019 LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 2019 LONGLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE 2019 SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA CROWN AWARDS 2019 ‘A startlingly original novel’ — Times, BOOKS OF THE YEAR There is a space between life and death: it's called waxworks. Born in Alsace in 1761, the unsightly, diminutive Marie Grosholtz is quickly nicknamed ‘Little’. Orphaned at the age of six, she finds employmet in Bern, Switzerland, under the charge of reclusive anatomist, Dr Curtius. In time the unlikely pair form an unlikely bond, and together they pursue an unusual passion: the fine art of wax-modelling. Forced to flee their city, the doctor and his protégée head for the seamy streets of Paris where they open an exhibition hall for their uncanny creations. Though revolution approaches, the curious-minded flock to see the wax heads, eager to scrutinise the faces of royalty and reprobates alike. At 'The Cabinet of Doctor Curtius', heads are made, heads are displayed, and a future is built from wax. From the gutters of pre-revolutionary France to the luxury of the Palace of Versailles, from casting the still-warm heads of The Terror to finding something very like love, Little is the unforgettable story of how a ‘bloodstained crumb of a girl’ went on to shape the world... 'Don't miss this eccentric charmer' @MargaretAtwood 'Absolutely brilliant' Susan Hill ‘Rich and engrossing, there is an extraordinary potency to Carey’s material ... A visceral, vivid and moving novel’ GUARDIAN 'In this gloriously gruesome imagining of the girlhood of Marie Tussaud, mistress of wax, fleas will bite, rats will run and heads will roll and roll and roll. Guts’n’gore galore: I bloody loved it' SPECTATOR 'A tale as moving as it is macabre' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'One of the most original historical novels of the year... Macabre, funny, touching and oddly life-affirming, Little is a remarkable achievement' SUNDAY TIMES 'Beautifully published... poignant... absorbing’ LITERARY REVIEW 'Clever and intriguing' DAILY MAIL ‘Marie’s story is fascinating in itself, but Carey’s talent makes her journey a thing of wonder’ NEW YORK TIMES ‘By turns witty, ghoulish, poignant and curiously life-affirming, Little is a historical novel unlike any other’ BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE ‘It is Carey’s uniquely inventive style that makes this novel so completely, wickedly, addictive’ BIG ISSUE 'Edward Carey is one of the strangest writers we are privileged to have in this country’ OBSERVER ‘Carey creates an indelible character in Little, sprinkles idiosyncratic drawings throughout and folds his narrative in cunning ways...’ BBC ‘Full of rich historical detail and beautiful illustrations ... a rare treat of a novel that will stay with you long after you turn the final page’ HEAT 'Compulsively readable: so canny and weird and surfeited with the reality of human capacity and ingenuity that I am stymied for comparison. Dickens and David Lynch? Defoe meets Atwood? Judge for yourself...' Gregory Maguire, author of WICKED
Margaret Atwood
Writer
Don't miss this eccentric charmer! LITTLE, by Edward Carey
Books from Margaret Atwood

The Power

In The Powerthe world is a recognizable place- there's a rich Nigerian kid who larks around the family pool; a foster girl whose religious parents hide their true nature; a local American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But something vital has changed, causing their lives to converge, with devastating effects. Now, with the flick of a switch, teenage girls can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world changes utterly. This extraordinary novel by Naomi Alderman, a Sunday TimesYoung Writer of the Year and GrantaBest of Young British writer, is not only a gripping story of how the world would change if physical power was in the hands of women but also exposes, with breath-taking daring, our contemporary world.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
Such an interesting book!
Books from Margaret Atwood

You Won't Always Be This Sad

Somewhere in the midst of this mess--must be a poem "You won't always be this sad," her mother, who also lost a son, reassures her, while a close friend encourages her to pick up the pen and write it all down. Capturing her own struggles as she emerges from shock in the wake of her son's unexpected death at age thirty-seven, author and storyteller Sheree Fitch writes lyrically and unabashedly, with deep sorrow, unexpected rage, and boundless love. She discovers that she "dwells in a thin place now," that she has crossed a threshold only to find herself in "the quicksand that is grief." The result is a memoir in verse of immense power and pain, a collection of moments, and a journey of resilience. Divided into three parts, like the memorial labyrinth Fitch walks every day, You Won't Always Be This Sad offers words that will stir the heart, inviting readers on a raw and personal odyssey through excruciating loss, astonishing gratitude, and a return to a different world with new insights, rituals, faith, and hope. Readers, bearing witness to the immeasurable depths of a mother's love, will be forever changed.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
Looking forward to much-needed new book about grieving by @sherfitch, a wonderful but too-experienced guide in such matters: You Won't Always Be This Sad
Books from Margaret Atwood

Hellgoing

Shortlisted for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. With astonishing range and depth, Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist Lynn Coady gives us eight unforgettable new stories, each one of them grabbing our attention from the first line and resonating long after the last. A young nun charged with talking an anorexic out of her religious fanaticism toys with the thin distance between practicality and blasphemy. A strange bond between a teacher and a schoolgirl takes on ever deeper, and stranger, shapes as the years progress. A bride - to - be with a penchant for nocturnal bondage can't seem to stop bashing herself up in the light of day. Equally adept at capturing the foibles and obsessions of men and of women, compassionate in her humour yet never missing an opportunity to make her characters squirm, fascinated as much by faithlessness as by faith, Lynn Coady is quite possibly the writer who best captures what it is to be human at this particular moment in our history.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
[Speaking on choosing favorite books] Shall it be Alice Munro, Mavis Gallant, or one of a large number of younger practitioners, such as “Birds of America” story writer Lorrie Moore, or Kelly Link (“Get in Trouble”), or Lynn Coady (“Hellgoing”)?
Books from Margaret Atwood

Get in Trouble

FINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A bewitching story collection from a writer hailed as “the most darkly playful voice in American fiction” (Michael Chabon) and “a national treasure” (Neil Gaiman).NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYBookPage • BuzzFeed • Chicago Tribune • Kirkus Reviews • NPR • San Francisco Chronicle • Slate • Time • Toronto Star • The Washington PostShe has been hailed by Michael Chabon as “the most darkly playful voice in American fiction” and by Neil Gaiman as “a national treasure.” Now Kelly Link’s eagerly awaited new collection—her first for adult readers in a decade—proves indelibly that this bewitchingly original writer is among the finest we have. Link has won an ardent following for her ability, with each new short story, to take readers deeply into an unforgettable, brilliantly constructed fictional universe. The nine exquisite examples in this collection show her in full command of her formidable powers. In “The Summer People,” a young girl in rural North Carolina serves as uneasy caretaker to the mysterious, never-quite-glimpsed visitors who inhabit the cottage behind her house. In “I Can See Right Through You,” a middle-aged movie star makes a disturbing trip to the Florida swamp where his former on- and off-screen love interest is shooting a ghost-hunting reality show. In “The New Boyfriend,” a suburban slumber party takes an unusual turn, and a teenage friendship is tested, when the spoiled birthday girl opens her big present: a life-size animated doll. Hurricanes, astronauts, evil twins, bootleggers, Ouija boards, iguanas, The Wizard of Oz, superheroes, the Pyramids . . . These are just some of the talismans of an imagination as capacious and as full of wonder as that of any writer today. But as fantastical as these stories can be, they are always grounded by sly humor and an innate generosity of feeling for the frailty—and the hidden strengths—of human beings. In Get in Trouble, this one-of-a-kind talent expands the boundaries of what short fiction can do. Praise for Get in Trouble“Ridiculously brilliant . . . These stories make you laugh while staring into the void.”—The Boston Globe “When it comes to literary magic, Link is the real deal: clever, surprising, affecting, fluid and funny.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Margaret Atwood
Writer
[Speaking on choosing favorite books] Shall it be Alice Munro, Mavis Gallant, or one of a large number of younger practitioners, such as “Birds of America” story writer Lorrie Moore, or Kelly Link (“Get in Trouble”), or Lynn Coady (“Hellgoing”)?
Books from Margaret Atwood

Grimm's Fairy Tales

The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are among the bestloved and most famous in world literature. This volume features more than fortyof their best-known fairy tales, lavishly illustrated with line drawings andcolour plates by Artur Rackham.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
Tell us about your favorite fairy tale? As a child I read the collected Grimms’ fairy tales. This was the whole hog, with all the red-hot shoes, eye-pecking and barrels full of nails: a bloodthirsty assemblage. This was in the days before the ’50s got hold of fairy tales and weeded out the gruesomeness, and shifted the emphasis to lovely dresses and people who behaved well.
Books from Margaret Atwood

The Martian Chronicles

For use in schools and libraries only. The tranquility of Mars is disrupted by the earthmen who have come to conquer space, colonize the planet, and escape a doomed Earth.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
[Speaking on favorites] Or such masterpieces of the weird as “Whistle and I’ll Come to You” (M. R. James), or “The Turn of the Screw” (Henry James), or “The Martian” (Ray Bradbury)?
Books from Margaret Atwood

The Turn of the Screw



Margaret Atwood
Writer
[Speaking on favorites] Or such masterpieces of the weird as “Whistle and I’ll Come to You” (M. R. James), or “The Turn of the Screw” (Henry James), or “The Martian” (Ray Bradbury)?
Books from Margaret Atwood

Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

M. R. James was a prolific and hugely successful author, now credited with having redefined the ghost story for the 20th century by abandoning many of the formal Gothic clichés of his predecessors and using more realistic contemporary settings. Originally published in 1904, 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to you, My Lad' ranks amongst his best and most underrated tales. Many of the earliest ghost stories and tales of hauntings, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
[Speaking on favorites] Such masterpieces of the weird as “Whistle and I’ll Come to You” (M. R. James), or “The Turn of the Screw” (Henry James), or “The Martian” (Ray Bradbury)?
Books from Margaret Atwood

Birds of America: Stories (Vintage Contemporaries)

Birds of America (1998) is a collection of short stories by American writer Lorrie Moore. The stories in this collection originally appeared in The New Yorker, Elle, The New York Times, and The Paris Review.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
[Speaking on favorites] Shall it be one of a large number of younger practitioners, such as “Birds of America” story writer Lorrie Moore, or Kelly Link (“Get in Trouble”), or Lynn Coady (“Hellgoing”)?
Books from Margaret Atwood

Ernest Hemingway Selected Letters 1917-1961

The death of Ernest Hemingway in 1961 ended one of the most original and influential careers in American literature. His works have been translated into every major language, and the Nobel Prize awarded to him in 1954 recognized his impact on contemporary writing. While many people are familiar with the public image of Hemingway and the legendary accounts of his life, few knew him as an intimate. With this collection of letters, presented for the first time as a Scribner Classic, a new Hemingway emerges. Ranging from 1917 to 1961, this generous selection of nearly six hundred letters is, in effect, both a self-portrait and an autobiography. In his own words, Hemingway candidly reveals himself to a wide variety of people: family, friends, enemies, editors, translators, and almost all the prominent writers of his day. In so doing he proves to be one of the most entertaining letter writers of all time. Carlos Baker has chosen letters that not only represent major turning points in Hemingway's career but also exhibit character, wit, and the writer's typical enthusiasm for hunting, fishing, drinking, and eating. A few are ingratiating, some downright truculent. Others present his views on writing and reading, criticize books by friend or foe, and discuss women, soldiers, politicians, and prizefighters. Perhaps more than anything, these letters show Hemingway's irrepressible humor, given far freer rein in his correspondence than in his books. An informal biography in letters, the product of forty-five years' living and writing, Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters leaves an indelible impression of an extraordinary man. Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1899. At seventeen he left home to join the Kansas City Star as a reporter, then volunteered to serve in the Red Cross during World War I. He was severely wounded at the Italian front and was awarded the Croce di Guerra. He moved to Paris in 1921, where he devoted himself to writing fiction, and where he fell in with the expatriate circle that included Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, and Ford Madox Ford. His novels include The Sun Also Rises (1926), A Farewell to Arms (1929), To Have and Have Not (1937), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), and The Old Man and the Sea (1952). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. He died in Ketchum, Idaho, on July 2, 1961.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
So what do we mean by “favorite?” In which mode? It’s very hard to choose. Shall it be mythic realism, like Faulkner’s “The Bear” or Hemingway’s “Three-Day Blow?”
Books from Margaret Atwood

The Bear

William Faulkner's short story "The Bear" was first published in the May 9, 1942 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. The piece--considered one of the best short stories of the twentieth century--is a coming-of-age tale that weaves together themes of family, race, and the taming of the wilderness, as the young main character learns to hunt and track the huge bear known as Old Ben. "Be scared. You can't help that. But don't be afraid. Ain't nothing in the woods going to hurt you unless you corner it, or it smells that you are afraid." This short work is part of Applewood's "American Roots," series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers and thinkers.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
So what do we mean by “favorite?” In which mode? It’s very hard to choose. Shall it be mythic realism, like Faulkner’s “The Bear” or Hemingway’s “Three-Day Blow?”
Books from Margaret Atwood

Canadian Short Stories



Margaret Atwood
Writer
I was also reading the first Robert Weaver anthology of Canadian short stories — it contained, among other little-known gems, the remarkable James Reaney story “The Bully.” Weaver was instrumental in the development of the short story in the Canada of the ’50s and ’60s, through his CBC Radio program, “Anthology.” He was the first “publisher” of many young Canadian poets and short story writers, Alice Munro among them.
Books from Margaret Atwood

Bonheur D'occasion. English

The Tin Flute, Gabrielle Roy's first novel, is a classic of Canadian fiction. Imbued with Roy's unique brand of compassion and compelling understanding, this moving story focuses on a family in the Saint-Henri slums of Montreal, its struggles to overcome poverty and ignorance, and its search for love. An affecting story of familial tenderness, sacrifice, and survival during the Second World War, The Tin Flute won both the Governor General's Award and the Prix Femina of France. The novel was made into a critically acclaimed motion picture in 1983.
Margaret Atwood
Writer
And a stack of books by Gabrielle Roy, the Franco-Manitoban writer who was a huge best seller in both France and North America in the late 1940s with her novel, “Bonheur d’Occasion,” translated as “The Tin Flute.” This is a gritty story about a working-class girl in Montreal in the wartime ’40s who makes the best she can of her meager romantic chances and her meager wardrobe, as she navigates a romance with an attractive Lothario but settles for the steady guy who loves her despite her calculating eyes.
Books from Margaret Atwood

Maigret and the Dead Girl

Maigret and his fellow inspector Lognon find themselves trying to out-manoeuver each other when they investigate the case of a mysterious young woman whose new life in Paris is tragically cut short.Maigret wouldn't have admitted that what intrigued him most was the victim's face. All he had seen of it so far was one profile. Was it the bruises that gave her that sullen air? She looked like a bad-tempered little girl. Her combed-back brown hair was very smooth but naturally wavy. The rain had diluted her make-up a little and, instead of making her older or uglier, it made her younger and more appealing.Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations.'His artistry is supreme' John Banville'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian'Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations.'His artistry is supreme' John Banville'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian
Margaret Atwood
Writer
What books are currently on your night stand? Right now on my night stand — in addition to the painkilling rub, the clock, the notebook, the pencil and the detective story, currently an Inspector Maigret, courtesy of Georges Simenon.