Margaret Atwood on her sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, politics of fear and the climate crisis 

What a refreshing change to watch an interviewer actually letting the interviewee answer questions without interrupting. I love this lady’s mind!

I remember meeting Ms Atwood in the early 90s and was struck by what a charming, intelligent, approachable, down to earth and unpretentious person she was. Though it was a book signing she took time to have a brief conversation with everyone in line. Perhaps because it was a small neighborhood shop and the line was not that large but it only served to make me not just a fan of the author but a fan of the person.

Atwood is incredibly inspiring.

What an utterly brilliant and insightful person. What a mind. Of all the people you would like to travel with - share a dinner or a long walks and chat - this lady is the top of my list.

Great, great woman. So brilliant and human!

‘So-called religious people.” Exactly.

I love Ms Atwood. I remember her support of the lgbt community in Toronto when she came to speak at the protests and the 519 church street community centre in Toronto after the bath raids. What a historian. She is a national treasure. Donald Trump take note. These are what the “best words” sound like

I love her understanding of the dark parts of human nature

My wife and I were fortunate enough to see the live interview with Margaret Atwood last night which was streamed to cinema audiences around the world. Samira did an amazing job as host and we were delighted by the guest readings from Anne Dowd, Sally Hawkins and Liky James. The Testaments and The Handmaid's Tale should be on every school's reading lists as they are incredibly important pieces of literature, political storytelling and social commentary that are very relevant to contemporary audiences. I was struck by how historically learned Atwood is and that she is equally in touch with the emerging tech, cultural and political issues that younger people are facing. Moreover, we need more young men to be exposed to Margaret's body of writing, so that they grow up not dismissing the themes in The Handmaid's Tale as "feminism" and instead treat these issues with the moral universal urgency that they are.

When I read The Handmaid's Tale in the mid 1980s it had a profound affect on me. Any woman living today ... please read it (and the sequel). What she wrote 35 years ago is happening right now (2019) and we are sleep walking into the horror.

“Canadians don’t do proud....they do least embarrassed by...” oh how I love this woman’s mind.

If one of the voices in the Testaments (handmaid sequel) is a second generation female resident of Gilead, we do know that she can only verbally tell her tale (and only to sympathetic listeners), for she would not be able to write her own story, having been raised illiterate. That is a profound condition of powerlessness.

She's sharp as a tack. I hope that I am as coherent, happy, and wise at that age.

I'm glad Margaret mentioned 1984 and Brave New World because they definitely echo in The Handmaid's Tale(as a Influence). As the West is Brave New World . North Korea and Soviet-Russia is 1984. And China is Both.

What true intelligence. One of the greatest minds of the 20th - 21st century

My favorite author.

good to see there are still people like her around

Great interview. Always great to listen to Margret Atwood talk about her books. I just started The Testaments. I love it so far. I read The Handmaid's Tale and I love the series on Hulu.

She has bright green nails!! God I love her

The Testaments is a magnificent sequel ....

One of the most brilliant minds of our time.

"Canadians don't do proud". We have the USA for that. We are loathe to bend the knee to anyone but we are polite about it.

A few months ago, when Trump was ranting at one of those nazi rallies, he mentioned that "women's unemployment" was the lowest in history under his regime. He invented a new, lower level category for women who must work to live ( 99% of American women must work to live ) alongside "Latino unemployment and Black unemployment". Formerly, all people who work were counted as workers and government data was compiled on that basis. No more. It may sound like a small thing, using that term "women's unemployment", but it reveals the bigger picture. Female lives have a very low value in today's America. Trump just makes them even cheaper and more disposable. Atwood knows these things. So do I.

What an amazingly intelligent person. And witty too! “Hunter/gatherer systems offer more freedom...Is the culprit wheat...possibly?” We have so so much to learn from her!

I didn't read the story 👌 but I saw the three seasons 🤣 and read the consequences of living all what happened and (is happening in our life ) your ✋ maid's is part of my story for the last twenty years . Yes, our life routine is within, the serial adaptation , the surprise that Muslim brotherhood implement all what happened in the book on our lives and melitary authorities next to them , have accilerate this kind of events

What a remarkable human.

She is such a cool lady!

I'd vote for her!

God bless Margaret Atwood.

As we who lived and still living our own Egyptian adaptation , we the victims are still living this , the question how to write our vergin of the story , overwhelming; my two young men , don't believe that I lived this and still driven to this

Atwood is still extremely relevant( besides being a wonderful human being) She is a great synthesizer snd presents it in a digestible and enjoyable form . Trump is doing us a service in shining a light and ( by his stupidity and arrogance) making visible how the powerstructure is working in the US and how much racism is still there. Also -many people are inspired to get involved, to vote to change the world locally .

She's such a sweet, amazing woman. Both the book series and the TV Show deserve so much more attention.

'is the culprit wheat?' - such wit and insight - love this woman's plain speaking.

Arguably, the culprit is livestock. Herding societies were more patriarchal than grain-growing cultures.

I love her. I love her work. But what about the laws in Canada that oppressed the Indigenous people- and that clearly aren’t entirely gone. Canada has a history that should also bring some shame. And she’s aware of that.

I appreciate her ginger language but we are way advanced toward world totalitarianism. Read Chomsky.

I could listen to her talk all day!! Is it just me or does the dude interviewing Atwood sound just like Carl Benjamin aka Sargon. I didn't let it ruin it for me.

Brilliant lady x

I just love this orator, just as good as GRRM

I fell asleep three times during this podcast. I’ll try it again tonight. Thanks Edward.

So so so with her on a trillion more trees - let every house be a tree house please 😊

I love her pin

Margaret Atwood is a far superior writer to Cathy Newman of Channel 4 News, who was incapable of paraphrasing her interviewee’s questions accurately on Jan 16, 2018. Shame on Cathy Newman. Sending negative vibes and strong criticisms to Cathy Newman.

Canada’s political parties are the same in number pretty much as Britain’s, I didn’t understand what she was saying there. I liked this interview though! Great series, I need to read the book too.

The interviewer of Atwood here did a far better job than Cathy Newman, who failed to listen and paraphrase interviewee statements accurately on Jan 16, 2018 and still hasn’t taken any responsibility for what she did. What a terrible indication of the times we live in. I will not hesitate to involve the journalism police if necessary. Shame on Cathy Newman for what she did on Jan 16, 2018.

Use a word with Margaret Atwood, one needs be precise.

You are totally explaining my life my God anyway I could have a conversation with you I'm working on a book I sure would love some information. My civil and human rights are so far from fucked it ain't even funny.

The Testaments is better than The Handmaid's Tale! A terrific read.

The feminists love Margaret's book of speculative fiction. The Handmaids Tale . But her follow up Trilogy of speculative fiction The MaddAddam Trilogy humanists love but the feminist are quiet as door mice. And that is increasingly being shown as coming true 👍

Shame on Cathy Newman of Channel 4 News for the way she interviewed on Jan 16, 2018.

She had it right about cashless society and turning us off.......it's happening now

I think she didn't want to list places most like handmaid's tale because she would be called islamophobic

Post wall af

Her net worth is 250 million dollars we better listen to her she wrote some books in her seaside castle.

15:30 I'm 21 3/4

Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia...

god complex

She does not applaud the Family.

In the USA, since Trump has been elected, what rights have women lost? Working? Having their own bank account? Access to birth control? The right to vote? The right to have a driver's license? The right to pursue an education? Please do tell me. What rights have been lost?

And yet she doesn't give a single damn about actually oppressed women in Islamic regimes. She use to when she first wrote it, but that's not acceptable now.

NOBODY wants to go back to 1885

No idea who she is. Without looking, she is a actor in a comedy series i bet

Margaret is a most amazing and intelligent writer and so clued into the way the patriarchal world works!

She gives us awareness!

Such convoluted thinking.

10:33 because there are many types of a people's we already know what we want just ask what the beef is and focus on food drug/meds or whatever home or getting to school because I don't know about anyone here cuz I'm with team human right now and forever OK ... We need to see each other and remember the love feeling can be for anyone of .. "Ahh just what do you need? " because there is more of everything right in front of you let's get down too :) the number one on the list.. Everyone got some food!!?

I condemn Cathy Newman of Channel 4 News for the way she mishandled the interview on Jan 16, 2018

11:57 "Is the culprit wheat? Possibly. " Profound!