About Margaret Atwood Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ottawa, Ontario

Margaret Atwood was born on 18th November 1939, to an entomologist father and nutritionist mother. She was born in Ottawa, Ontario and has two siblings, Ruth and Harold. She spent quite a bit of time as a child in northern Quebec as a result of her father's work in entomology.

She did not go to school full time until the age of twelve. She spent time as a Brownie with the girls group Girl Guides.

Answer: Graeme Gibson

In 1968 she married American writer Jim Polk and the two divorced in 1973. She married Canadian writer Graeme Gibson in 1973. Gibson has written a number of works of fiction and non-fiction including the experimental novel "Five Legs." Atwood and Gibson moved to Alliston, Ontario where they lived on a farm for a number of years.

Their daughter Eleanor was born there in 1976. In 1980 the family moved to Toronto.

Answer: University of Toronto

Atwood started writing at the young age of six and always had an interest in reading and writing. She studied English at the University of Toronto and had some of her works published in the college literary journal. After obtaining her Bachelor of Arts degree, she studied at Harvard University on a Fellowship.

She obtained her Masters in 1962. Despite her love of reading and writing and her scholarly pursuits, she has claimed to be a terrible speller!

Answer: Witchcraft

Mary Webster lived in New England and in 1683, when she was sixty years old, was accused of being a witch. She was the victim of an attempted lynching but survived the attack. Atwood has claimed that Webster is an ancestor of hers and wrote a poem about her called "Half-Hanged Mary". Atwood also wrote a dedication to her in her novel "The Handmaid's Tale."

Answer: The Handmaid's Tale

Atwood has won numerous awards for her work. In 1966 she won a Governor General's Award for her work of poetry called "The Circle Game". Her first novel that won the Governor General's Award was "The Handmaid's Tale" in 1985. That dystopian novel about a society in which reproductive rights trump all others also won an Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Booker Prize.

It has been adapted into plays, movies and television series. Amongst much recognition for her work, she has also been awarded the Order of Canada, a British Academy Medal and the Franz Kafka Prize.

Answer: LongPen

Atwood first thought of the idea of a remote signing device in 2004 and it made its appearance in 2006. The LongPen gives the ability to virtually sign in ink from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world using the Internet, a robotic hand and a tablet.

There is also the ability to have a conversation between the two parties involved in the signing. I know that Atwood is a sci-fi writer but I wonder if she realized how useful this device probably was during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated quarantines!

Answer: Griffin Poetry Prize

Atwood is a co-founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada which celebrates and rewards Canadian writers of all types. Through that trust literary awards are given including the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. In 2000 the Griffin Poetry Prize was founded by Scott Griffin. Graeme Gibson was named Chairman and Atwood was named a trustee, along with other literary powerhouses Robert Hass and Michael Ondaajte. Monetary awards are provided to the best poetry selections as evaluated by a panel of judges from the literary world.

Answer: Dearly

Atwood was married to Graeme Gibson from 1973 until his death in 2019. He passed away after suffering a stroke, after he was diagnosed with vascular dementia. Atwood wrote the poetry collection "Dearly" which covers the topics of love, loss and grief. She also wrote about her grief over his death in an essay in "The Guardian".

Answer: Pescetarian

Atwood writes about a number of key themes, including Canadian identity and feminism. She also writes about the relationship between people and animals and the ethics of the use of science and technology. In one of my favorite Atwood books, "Oryx and Crake", she writes about technology gone wrong and the book is filled with horrific genetically mutated animals.

She is a pescatarian meaning that she is a vegetarian that eats seafood. She has said in a 2009 interview that she eats "nothing with fur or feathers."

Answer: BirdLife International

Atwood is a strong supporter of the arts (no surprise there) and has stated that she will vote for any political party that supports the arts. During the Free Trade debate between Canada and the USA in 1987 she wrote an essay opposing the agreement. She also has strong views on the environment.

She and her husband were named honorary presidents of the Rare Bird Club which is part of BirdLife International. That organization strives to protect birds and their environments. When she turned seventy years old she had her birthday celebration at a university that was located Sudbury, Ontario, a city with a forward-looking view on environmental concerns.