Margaret Atwood

Atwood's work exists in a very peculiar place: it reads like literature, but it sells like popular fiction. Perhaps part of the secret is her choice of subjects, themes and genres, ranging from gothic to the darkest future, from autobiography-as-fiction to historical novels. Howells (English and Canadian literature, U. of Reading) works chronologically from the end of the 1960s to the present, noting Atwood's attention to Canada, the female body, and wilderness, which actually appear to be related themes, and the ways Atwood attenuates a genre almost, but not quite to the breaking point. Those only familiar with The Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin will be startled by Atwood's earlier fiction and poetry as introduced by Howells. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

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It would be difficult to dispute Atwood's significance as a gifted poet and novelist. Having written novels that are generally as intellectually engaging as they are a joy to read, Atwood receives the attention due her in a lively critical and biographical study. Themes and concerns that have engaged Atwood since "The Edible Woman" was published in 1969 are examined, with Howells affording readers the opportunity to follow along with an incisive deconstruction of Atwood's continuing exploration of feminist issues, literary genres, and her own identity as a Canadian, a woman, and a writer. This book, with its accessible style, will be appreciated by anyone who has looked forward to publication of new works by Atwood. Expect it to generate a demand for all of the writer's work.

Coral Ann Howells is Professor of Canadian Literature at Reading University and a former chair of the Margaret Atwood Society.