‘The pen is mightier than the sword’, so the expression goes. But world-renowned author Margaret Atwood doesn’t believe it. In this interview with The Handmaid’s Tale author, conducted by Aaron James Wendland, Atwood argues that authors have influence – not power. Real power takes an army; swords, not pens. We must be realistic about this, as well as realistic about the prospects of fictional utopias, if we are to fulfill the promise of our more hopeful visions of the future.
Aaron James Wendland: It is a great honor to introduce Margaret Atwood. Margaret is the author of eighteen novels, including Life Before Man, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Heart Goes Last. She has also written eighteen books of poetry, eleven works of non-fiction, nine collections of short stories, eight children’s books, and two graphic novels. She has won numerous literary awards, including the Booker Prize, the Franz Kafka Prize, and the Governor General’s Award, and she is a founder of the Griffin Poetry Prize as well as the Writer’s Trust of Canada. Margaret, thank you very much for participating in this benefit conference for the Ukrainian academy. If you don’t mind me asking, I have a few questions for you.
Margaret Atwood: It’s a pleasure to be here, Aaron, and I look forward to your questions.
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