In this week’s episode of#SeeHer Story, the series pays tribute to the brilliant author ofThe Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood.
The author, 80, has never been afraid to look at reality through a new lens, which is why#SeeHer Story, the digital video series fromKatie CouricMedia and PEOPLE, has chosen to honor her inspiring work in this week’s episode.
The goal of#SeeHer Storyistorecognize female trailblazers throughout the past 100 years and celebrate how they’ve helped to shape history and culture.
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Born in 1939 in Ottawa, Canada, Atwood knew she wanted to be a professional writer at a young age — kicking off her career at only 16 years old.
Though she published her first book of poetry at age 22, it wasn’t until 1969 – when Atwood released her debut novel,The Edible Woman– that the public took notice of her unique style of writing.
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“I write about something called the future,” Atwood said in an interview. “Which is a wonderful thing to write about, because nobody can fact check it.”
When she releasedThe Handmaid’s Tale15 years later, its dystopian vision of a terrifying future that seemed all too possible resonated with readers, and it shot to the top of bestseller lists.
“Everything I put in has a basis in reality: something we’re doing now, something we’ve already done, something we’re thinking of doing,” she explained in the clip.
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The book became so popular that a film version was released in 1990; it later became an Emmy-winning television show which premiered on Hulu in 2017. The powerful show quickly turned into a cultural phenomenon, already boasting three successful seasons with a possible fourth to come.
Atwood has published dozens of books, between her award-winning novels, poetry collections, short stories and children’s books. In September, the author released the long-awaited sequel toThe Handmaid’s Tale,entitledThe Testaments,which earned immediate praise and was named No. 1 toAmazon’s Best Books of the Yearlist.
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Atwood’s accomplishments don’t stop there — recently she was awarded the Booker Prize, the leading literary award for English-language books, on Oct. 14.
source: people.com
