Spartan Youth Radio (a Northern Ontario high school radio station) has an interview with Margaret Atwood. Reporter Madeline Lemire talked to Atwood during her book tour for The Year Of The Flood. In the interview Atwood talks about her novel, moon landing conspiracy theories, biotechnology, religion, environmentalism, coffee, twitter and “the future of novels.”
I always thought Margaret Atwood’s position on ‘not being a Science Fiction writer’ had some merit. She’s never been all that interested in science. After listening to Atwood explain her position on the moon landings being fake (she thinks that they were) I have to agree she’s definitely not all that interested in science. I shake my head at your smug oleaginousness Margaret Atwood. You are a history denier. The moon landings were not fake. We did them, they were done.
Here’s the interview |MP3|
Our review of The Year Of The Flood |READ OUR REVIEW|!
Here’s a video featuring a multi-performer “dramatic reading” from The Year Of The Flood:
Aren’t you glad Atwood doesn’t narrate her own audiobooks?
[via the Digital Copyright Canada blog]
Posted by Jesse Willis
Holy cow. And this they call an intellectual.
I suppose it’s possible that she’s going the way of poor Philip K. Dick.
Thanks for the mention Jesse. Spartan Youth Radio is Canada’s only high school podcast radio station and we appreciate any press we can get! Your coverage also reminds me to change the ancient logo I suppose you pulled from our iTunes feed. We retired the cosmic corn cob three years ago and are using a more revolutionary-looking one (check out our website).
We invite your readers to comment on the Atwood (and other) interviews at http://spartanyouthradio.com
Again, thanks for the nod.
Wow! That’s really surprising from Margaret Atwood. Kudos to the interviewer, btw – a great job.
Congrats to Spartan Youth Radio! Bravo and keep up the good work! I hope you are enjoying yourselves.
I’ve now swapped in the more fearsome looking SYR logo. I have little doubt it will help keep those rebellious helots in check.
Wow. She thinks the moon landings were faked. Double wow.
I have always tried to cut her some slack even though the movie version of Handmaid’s Tail was irredeemably silly, because I hadn’t read the book and so many people speak respectfully of it (and her). So, I assumed there must be something there worthy of respect. Now, the gloves are coming off. She is, in my mind, among the list of bizarro nutjob SF authors–one of those amusing mascots who are fun to read and a blast to discuss, but who never receives our respect.
Great find, Jesse. This is the SF news item of the day. (Assuming it’s news to everyone else. It sure is to me.)
The Handmaid’s Tale is a very, very good dystopian novel. I’d say its even worthy of the classification: “SCIENCE FICTION.”
And as with Orson Scott Card, being a great novelist doesn’t make everything you write (or say) true or even palatable. Robert E. Howard wrote some amazing short stories. He was also a flaming racist. Ditto for Lovecraft.
I’m baffled. My mind is boggled. What a national disgrace.
More despicable is her shallow acceptance of the Dan David Award and the $1/2 million that went with it. Of course the Zionists are making great propaganda hay with her appearance on the stage with a war criminal. How does an officer of International PEN square acceptance of such an award very near where Palestinian journalists are being detained by the Israeli government, on the site where a Palestinian village was leveled and erased. This is a woman who really has no conscience, is conceited, arrogant, thoughtless and insensitive. That she believes that the moon landing was faked opens up another avenue of inquiry. Perhaps the explanation lies somewhere there, because I am baffled as to why she did it. All I can say is that I will never read another word she writes, in the same way that she refused to read the letters that were written to her urging her not to go I decline to read her. I just cannot take her seriously. Congrats to Spartan Youth Radio for the interview. Long may you flourish.