15.12.2025
Alles gesagt? - 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
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an allesgesagt@zeit.de.
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