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Staff writer Christina A.Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. “She is just one of the most creative and smart, inspiring writers.” “I have been a fan of hers for as long as I can remember, at least since I was in college,” Palma said. Palma, an attendee of the event, said she was excited to see the widely acclaimed author in person.

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She said she “fondly hoped” those who have banned the book misunderstood it and were not “actually wishing to install an authoritarian state.”Ītwood showcased her sense of humor throughout the event, drawing laughter from the audience through witty responses to questions about her favorite method of procrastination and her age. “It’s been a repeated pattern,” Atwood said of book-banning, adding that “The Handmaid’s Tale” is among the most commonly banned books in the United States. During the event, she remarked on how the relationship between characters Tig and Nel in “Old Babes in the Wood” was inspired by her marriage with Gibson.ĭuring the event’s question-and-answer session, audience members asked about banned books and Atwood’s status as a frequently banned author - referencing an infamous meme in which the author uses a flamethrower on a fireproof copy of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Inspired by both world events and events in her life, Atwood said she chose to dedicate the book to her late husband, Graeme Gibson. The conversation progressed to a discussion of Atwood’s new work, “Old Babes in the Wood.” Atwood used the collection of short stories as a social commentary on the Covid-19 pandemic, similar to how “The Handmaid’s Tale” commented on women’s autonomy.ĭuring the event, Atwood said the stories in “Old Babes in the Wood” were largely influenced by pandemic-era life and politics, which Atwood related to Giovanni Boccaccio’s Black Death-inspired stories in “The Decameron.” “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let me in.” “They took a dim view, but they have come around since,” she added. “They did not think it was fun to have bodies hanging on the Harvard wall.” “Harvard was not amused when this book was first published,” Atwood said.

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It was later adapted into the 2017 Hulu series of the same name.Ītwood began the interview by joking about Harvard’s reception of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” given that her dystopian setting of Gilead was based on Cambridge. Clarke Award in 1987, in addition to being nominated for the 1986 Booker Prize. The event was co-sponsored by Harvard Book Store and the Mahindra Humanities Center, as part of the latter’s “Writers Speak” Series.Īn alumna of Harvard University, Atwood was awarded the Radcliffe Medal in 2003 for her work in feminist literature, including her 1985 classic novel “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The novel won Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award in 1985 and the first Arthur C. Two-time Booker Prize-winning author Margaret Atwood spoke to a packed crowd of fans in Sanders Theatre about her newly published short story collection “Old Babes in the Wood” Thursday.Ītwood joined Scott Tong, journalist and co-host of “Here & Now” on WBUR Boston, to discuss how “Old Babes in the Wood” reflects Atwood’s life experiences.

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