Margaret Atwood’s Poetry

Key Facts

name of poet · Margaret Eleanor Atwood

date of birth · November 18, 1939

place of birth · Ottawa, Ontario

favored meter(s) and rhyme scheme(s) · None

favored named form(s)  · Free verse

poetic and political movements to which the poet belonged

related poets · Gwendolyn McEwen, Milton Acorn, Michael Ondaatje, Jay McPherson

themes · Civilization vs. wilderness; the inevitability of death

motifs · Photographs

symbols · The snake; the moon; the female body

other relevant facts · Atwood is perhaps most famous for her novels, among them The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), Cat’s Eye (1988), and The Blind Assassin, which was awarded the Booker Prize in 2000. Two other recent novels, Alias Grace (1996) and Oryx and Crake (2003), have both been international bestsellers.