The Handmaid's Tale

'''The Handmaids Tale''' is a feminist dystopian novel, a work of science fiction or speculative fiction,"About Speculative Fiction", in The Handmaid's Tale Study Guide, Gradesaver, Gradesaver LLC, 1999?2009, Web, 22 May 2009. written by Canadian author Margaret AtwoodAtwood, "Aliens Have Taken the Place of Angels": "If youre writing about the future and you aren't doing forecast journalism, you'll probably be writing something people will call either science fiction or speculative fiction. I like to make a distinction between science fiction proper and speculative fiction. For me, the science fiction label belongs on books with things in them that we can't yet do, such as going through a wormhole in space to another universe; and speculative fiction means a work that employs the means already to hand, such as DNA identification and credit cards, and that takes place on Planet Earth. But the terms are fluid. Some use speculative fiction as an umbrella covering science fiction and all its hyphenated forms - science fiction fantasy, and so forth - and others choose the reverse. ? I have written two works of science fiction or, if you prefer, speculative fiction: The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake. Here are some of the things these kinds of narratives can do that socially realistic novels cannot do."Cf. Langford, "Bits and Pieces". and first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1985. Set in the near future, in a totalitarian theocracy which has overthrown the United States government, The Handmaids Tale explores themes of women in subjugation and the various means by which they gain agency.

The Handmaid's Tale won the 1985 Governor Generals Award and the first Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1987, and it was nominated for the 1986 Nebula Award, the 1986 Booker Prize, and the 1987 Prometheus Award. It has been adapted for the cinema, radio, opera, and stage.

Margaret Eleanor Atwood, CC, O.Ont, FRSC (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian author, poet, critic, essayist, feminist and social campaigner. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award and Prince of Asturias award for Literature, has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize five times, winning once, and has been a finalist for the Governor General's Award seven times, winning twice.

While she may be best known for her work as a novelist, she is also an award winning poet, having published 15 books of poetry to date.

Many of her poems have been inspired by myths, and fairy tales, which were an interest of hers from an early age.Oates, Joyce Carol. 'Margaret Atwood: Poet', New York Times, May 21 1978 Atwood has also published short stories in Tamarack Review, Alphabet, Harper's, CBC Anthology, Ms., Saturday Night, Playboy'', and many other magazines.