Negotiating with the dead: a writer on writing

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Publication Date
2002, [i.e. 2001]
Language
English

Description

What is the role of the Writer? Prophet? High Priest of Art? Court Jester? Or witness to the real world? Looking back on her own childhood and writing career, Margaret Atwood examines the metaphors which writers of fiction and poetry have used to explain--or excuse!--their activities, looking at what costumes they have assumed, what roles they have chosen to play. In her final chapter she takes up the challenge of the title: if a writer is to be seen as "gifted", who is doing the giving and what are the terms of the gift? Atwood's wide reference to other writers, living and dead, is balanced by anecdotes from her own experiences, both in Canada and elsewhere. The lightness of her touch is offset by a seriousness about the purpose and the pleasures of writing, and by a deep familiarity with the myths and traditions of western literature. Margaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa and grew up in northern Quebec, Ontario, and Toronto. She received her undergraduate degree from Victoria College at the University of Toronto and her master's degree from Radcliffe College. Throughout her thirty years of writing, Atwood has received numerous awards and honorary degrees. Hew newest novel, The Blind Assassin, won the 2000 Booker Prize for Fiction. She is the author of more than twenty-five volumes of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction and is perhaps best known for her novels, which include Alias Grace (1996), The Robber Bride (1994), Cat's Eye (1988), The Handmaid's Tale (1983), Surfacing (1972) and The Edible Woman (1970). Acclaimed for her talent for portraying both personal lives and worldly problems of universal concern, Atwood's work has been published in more than thirty-five languages, including Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, Korean, Icelandic, and Estonian.

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ISBN
9780521662604

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Margaret Atwood and Ian McEwan write thought-provoking literary fiction that probes the psyches of their richly layered and often troubled characters. Themes of the artist, sexual dysfunction, violence, and families in chaos are sprinkled throughout their complex works, characterized by a darker tone and a dry wit. -- Becky Spratford
Both Margaret Atwood's and Margaret Drabble's novels feature engaging characters, polished prose, and well-drawn stories in which the past intrudes on the present. -- Kim Burton
Margaret Atwood and George Orwell are favorites of literary fiction fans for their thought-provoking novels; both writers are notable for their sophisticated prose and compelling story delivery, as well as their attention to people and society. Both also have used science fiction as a device for presenting their political insights. -- Katherine Johnson
Margaret Atwood and Cormac McCarthy write bleak, thought-provoking literary fiction. Their use of straightforward (Atwood) and ornate (McCarthy) language is stark and evocative. Although the violence in McCarthy's stories is far more overt than in Atwood's novels, both feature complex characters struggling to understand and define human morality. -- Victoria Fredrick
Known for their graceful, lyrical prose, these fellow Canadians write intricately plotted, often nonlinear, dystopian fiction questioning the nature of humanity and society's definitions of good and evil. They populate their haunting novels with complex, flawed characters in fear for their future and in doubt of the past. -- Mike Nilsson
Margaret Atwood and Sheri S. Tepper both focus on the intersections between the future, religion, and feminism. In addition, each author usually sets a bleak tone while building a highly detailed world. -- Krista Biggs
Both authors create reflective, intricately plotted, character-driven literary dystopian fiction that describes disturbing futures where warped justice systems limit individual rights. Margaret Atwood focuses on women's issues while Jesse Ball writes about government control and immigration. Both use a witty, stylistically complex writing style and craft complex, nuanced characters. -- Alicia Cavitt
Penelope Lively and Margaret Atwood share a number of similar traits. Both writers place intriguing characters in well-told, layered, psychological tales; play skillfully with language and ideas; and often treat women's issues in their exceptionally well-told stories. -- Kim Burton
Octavia E. Butler's books share the introspection common in Margaret Atwood's novels; both powerful storytellers have written what might be called "idea novels." Their stories lead readers to confront and examine the ways humans and societies treat one another. -- Katherine Johnson
Those who enjoy Margaret Atwood's novels might also like Marge Piercy. Both authors write multi-character fables of "what if" that deal with the possible implications of the lives we are living now. -- Victoria Fredrick
These writers effectively combine literary fiction with science fiction that emphasizes the decay of technological society and a corresponding erosion of moral boundaries. Their complex characters and intricate plots are complemented by lyrical prose and marked by a sensitivity to the beauty and fragility of the natural world. -- Mike Nilsson
Margaret Atwood and Ray Bradbury present disturbing views of the near future in thought-provoking literary and social science fiction depicting dystopian totalitarian societies. Both classic science fiction authors use lyrical writing to craft impactful character-driven stories featuring high-stakes human dramas. Bradbury focuses on censorship while Atwood writes about gender inequality. -- Alicia Cavitt

Published Reviews

Choice Review

In this gem of a book, the renowned Canadian author writes of writers, writing, and the writer's life. Originally delivered as the prestigious Empson Lectures (Univ. of Cambridge), the essays are crammed with readerly insights and sly humor. That Atwood has read widely and deeply is everywhere evident: her references range from the Bible to Frank Baum, from Isak Dinesen to Jorge Luis Borges, from Shakespeare to Stephen King. In the opening chapter she traces her development as a writer. Subsequent chapters meditate on familiar topics, but always in a fresh and innovative fashion: the double life of a writer, oral and written literature, the conflict between writing for truth and writing for money (and between art for art's sake and art for social responsibility), and the role of the reader in creating meaning. In the closing chapter, Atwood reveals the meaning of her title: "All writing of the narrative kind, and perhaps all writing, is motivated, deep down, by a fear of and fascination with mortality--by a desire to make the risky trip to the Underworld, and to bring something or someone back from the dead." Of particular interest to students and faculty in literature and creative writing courses; strongly recommended for all academic and public libraries. E. R. Baer Gustavus Adolphus College

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
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Library Journal Review

This book grew out of the series of Empsom lectures that prize-winning novelist Atwood gave at the University of Cambridge in 2000. In it, she addresses a number of fundamental questions: not how to write but the basic position of the writer, why a writer writes, "and for whom? And what is this writing anyway?" Wearing her learning lightly, Atwood allows her wit to shine on almost every page. She probes her life and work along with those of many other writers and brings in myths, fairy tales, movies whatever feeds her themes. Following an initial autobiographical chapter, Atwood addresses major issues: the duplicity evidently inherent in writing; the problems of art vs. money; the problems of art vs. social relevance; the nature of the triangular relationship of writer, reader, and book; and, in the final title chapter, the provocative idea that "all writing of the narrative kind, and perhaps all writing, is motivated, deep down, by a fear of and a fascination with mortality by a desire to make the risky trip to the Underworld, and to bring something or someone back from the dead." Atwood is not looking to provide answers or solutions but to explore the parameters of some interesting questions. The result is engaging food for thought for all who care about writers and writing. Recommended for academic and large public libraries. Mary Paumier Jones, Westminster P.L., CO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Library Journal Reviews

This book grew out of the series of Empsom lectures that prize-winning novelist Atwood gave at the University of Cambridge in 2000. In it, she addresses a number of fundamental questions: not how to write but the basic position of the writer, why a writer writes, "and for whom? And what is this writing anyway?" Wearing her learning lightly, Atwood allows her wit to shine on almost every page. She probes her life and work along with those of many other writers and brings in myths, fairy tales, movies whatever feeds her themes. Following an initial autobiographical chapter, Atwood addresses major issues: the duplicity evidently inherent in writing; the problems of art vs. money; the problems of art vs. social relevance; the nature of the triangular relationship of writer, reader, and book; and, in the final title chapter, the provocative idea that "all writing of the narrative kind, and perhaps all writing, is motivated, deep down, by a fear of and a fascination with mortality by a desire to make the risky trip to the Underworld, and to bring something or someone back from the dead." Atwood is not looking to provide answers or solutions but to explore the parameters of some interesting questions. The result is engaging food for thought for all who care about writers and writing. Recommended for academic and large public libraries. Mary Paumier Jones, Westminster P.L., CO Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
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