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Margaret Atwood’s favorite dystopian futures
“The Handmaid’s Tale” author knows a bit about compellingly bleak societies.
Publié le 12 octobre 2023
The Iron Heel
Jack LondonWhen most people think of Jack London, they think of the rugged outdoors and dogs and wolves, not this social novel about class warfare and totalitarianism. But this work inspired George Orwell, and Margaret Atwood credits it as the first 20th century dystopia.
Brave New World
Aldous HuxleyThere’s a reason “Brave New World” gets assigned to most students in high school. Even as electronics continue to rapidly alter society, Aldous Huxley’s novel remains relevant. Summarizing the plot, Atwood asked Omnivoracious, “Which is better, shopping or a soul? Your choice!”
1984
George Orwell“You know about this one, too. And you need to know. George Orwell nailed fake news and distortions of language before anyone else did,” Atwood said to “Omnivoracious.” In the age of alternative facts, this classic has also shot back up the bestseller list and remains a mainstay.
Riddley Walker, Expanded Edition
Russell HobanApocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction transports readers to a different hellscape than totalitarian regimes do, but they’re also often very linked. Atwood ranks this one, about a British teen surviving an atomic fallout, as one of her personal favorites.
Parable of the Sower
Octavia E. ButlerMuch like Atwood’s own dystopian classic, Octavia Butler’s Parable series tackles feminist issues — in particular, the link between environmental conditions and women’s well-being. Atwood told “Omnivoracious” the series leaves “much to ponder.”
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Yevgeny ZamyatinIn an article for PBS about the books that inspired her to write “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Atwood cited this 1920s Russian dystopian by Yevgeny Zamyatin as a particular horror. “He foresaw Big Brother and all the rest of it. And the term ‘liquidation,’ he takes literally, so the people that they ‘liquidate’ actually get turned into liquid,” Atwood told PBS.