Margaret Atwood
Also Known As: not available
Biography: Born in Ottawa and raised in Toronto, Margaret Atwood graduated from the University of Toronto’s Victoria College in 1961 and pursued a master's at Harvard in 1963. Her teaching stint at the University of British Columbia marked her start, but it was her poetry collection, "The Circle Game," in 1964 that brought her initial literary acclaim. Her debut novel, "The Edible Woman" (1969), resonated with early feminist movements, followed by "Surfacing" in 1972, a Canadian literature mainstay. The '70s saw her prolific output: six poetry volumes, three short-story collections, and bestsellers like "Lady Oracle," "Life Before Man," and "Bodily Harm." In 1985, "The Handmaid's Tale" propelled her to global fame, showcasing her futuristic, dystopian storytelling. Subsequent novels like "Cat's Eye," "The Robber Bride," and "Alias Grace" solidified her international acclaim. Her impact extends beyond literature; as the first novelist and poet on Canada’s Walk of Fame, Atwood embodies Canadian humility, stating, "We don’t put up with people who get too high and mighty." Her work continues to resonate, cementing her status as a treasured Canadian storyteller.
Department: Writing
Place of Birth: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Birthday: November 18, 1939
Adult: No
Gender: Female
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Shadow Maker: Gwendolyn MacEwen, Poet
Overview: "Michael Ondaatje called Gwendolyn MacEwen 'the last of the bardic poets'. In the early 60s, she astonished the nascent beat scene at Toronto's Bohemian Embassy with her exotic looks and her accomplished writing style. During her lifetime MacEwen travelled to Greece and Egpyt, married twice, wrote novels, translated Greek verse, took lovers and wrote radio scripts. Above all, she wrote luminous poetry, some of which is sensitively visualized in this thoughtful, pensive work which features insights from Margaret Atwood, Judith Merrill and Rosemary Sullivan." -- Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1999-05-05
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Margaret Atwood: You Have Been Warned
Overview: For decades, Margaret Atwood has been universally acclaimed as Canada's greatest living writer. Fearlessly outspoken in life and in her work, Atwood has always been an unrelenting provocateur. Now at the age of 77, her star shines brighter and bolder than ever with an explosive television adaptation of her best-known work The Handmaid's Tale, which was first published in 1985. It is a dystopian work of speculative fiction set in the future, which has drawn comparison with aspects of Donald Trump's leadership, in particular the charges of misogyny which have inflamed anti-Trump campaigners across America. Alan Yentob meets Margaret Atwood in Toronto and discovers how a childhood spent between the Canadian wilderness and the city helped shape her vision of herself and the world, set alight her imagination and set her forth on a path to literary success.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2017-08-28
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Reading Alistair MacLeod
Overview: This feature doc profiles acclaimed writer Alistair MacLeod. Hailed internationally as a master of the short story, MacLeod also wrote a novel, No Great Mischief, which was celebrated around the world. Depicting men and women living out their lives against the haunting landscape that surrounds them, most of MacLeod's work is firmly based in Cape Breton even if his characters stray elsewhere. Focusing on the complexities and abiding mysteries at the heart of human relationships, MacLeod maps the close bonds and impassable chasms that lie between people and invokes memory and myth to celebrate the continuity of the generations. This film portrait explores the life and work of this giant of literature.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-01-01
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Yesno
Overview: Based on a book of poetry by Dennis Lee, YESNO is a playful view of a planet on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Humphrey Bogart meets Werner Herzog in the heart of darkness. Leonard Cohen, Michael Ondaatje and Margaret Atwood voice Lee's poetry over flood of images that mix live action and animation, calligraphy and DNA.
Genres: Comedy Animation
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2010-01-01
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Awaiting Atwood
Overview: Two washed-up, middle-aged adventuresses are under the delusion literary icon Margaret Atwood has invited them to stay with her in downtown Toronto. Having nothing better to do for the summer, they turn this into a full-on adventure traveling by bike and canoe from Sudbury to Ms. Atwood's front lawn. En route, they experience a series of misadventures, encountering themes and images from some of Atwood's best-loved novels.
Genres: Comedy Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2013-11-14
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Frankenstein and the Vampyre: A Dark and Stormy Night
Overview: A drama-documentary telling the story of the celebrated gathering in Geneva, 1816 which led to the creation of both Frankenstein and the first modern vampire story.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2014-11-01
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In the Wake of the Flood
Overview: On the eve of her 70th birthday, Canadian writer Margaret Atwood set out on an international tour criss-crossing the British Isles and North America to celebrate the publication of her new dystopian novel, The Year of the Flood. Rather than mount a traditional tour to promote a book's publication, Atwood conceived and executed something far more ambitious and revelatory--a theatrical version of her novel. Along the way she reinvented what a book tour could (and maybe should) be. But Atwood wasn't selling books as much as advocating an idea: how humanity must respond to the consequences of an environmentally compromised planet before her work of speculative fiction transforms into prophesy.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2010-08-02
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Margaret Atwood: Once in August
Overview: In Margaret Atwood: Once in August, filmmaker Michael Rubbo attempts to discover what shapes the celebrated writer's fiction and what motivates her characters. As one of Canada's most distinguished poets and novelists, Atwood is also one of this country's most elusive literary figures.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1984-01-01
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Angela Carter: Of Wolves & Women
Overview: A dark and delicious foray into Angela Carter's extraordinary life with animation by Peepshow Collective, rare archive and family photos, and contributions from Angela's friends, family, students and admirers.
Genres: Animation Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2018-08-04
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Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin
Overview: The extraordinary life story of science fiction and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) who, in spite of remaining for many years on the sidelines of the mainstream literature, managed to be recognized as one of the most remarkable US writers of all time, due to the relevance of her work and her commitment to the human condition.
Genres: Documentary Animation
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2018-06-11
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Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power
Overview: The views and thoughts of Canadian writer Margaret Atwood have never been more relevant than today. Readers turn to her work for answers as they confront the rise of authoritarian leaders, deal with increasingly intrusive technologies, and discuss climate change. Her books are useful as survival tools for hard times. But few know her private life. Who is the woman behind the stories? How does she always seem to know what is coming?
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2019-11-07
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Al Purdy Was Here
Overview: The story of Canada's leading poet and the A-Frame cabin he built. Now Canada's leading musicians and artists come together to tell the tale of Al Purdy.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2015-10-09
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Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble
Overview: Join iconic Canadian artists, activists, actors, and athletes as they share their stories of hope and inspiration in this national salute to our frontline workers and in support of Food Banks Canada’s COVID-19 relief efforts.
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2020-04-26
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