Margaret Atwood, winner of the 2020 British Academy President’s Medal, joins Professor Sir David Cannadine in conversation to discuss her life, work and activism.

Twice a winner of the Booker Prize, Margaret Atwood is a world-renowned writer of fiction, poetry, critical essays and graphic novels, whose work has been published in more than 45 countries. Throughout her 50-year career she has become known for her exploration of issues such as gender and identity, faith, politics and ecology, with notable works including The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) and its much anticipated sequel The Testaments (2019), The Blind Assassin (2000), Hag-Seed (2016), and Dearly (2020), her first poetry collection in over a decade. Her work has been adapted for stage and screen, most notably the Emmy award-winning The Handmaid’s Tale (MGM/Hulu) which brought her novels to the attention of a new generation of readers. In addition to her prolific career as a writer, she is also celebrated for her environmental activism.

Atwood has been awarded the British Academy President's Medal 2020 for her outstanding contributions to literature.

The medal is awarded by the President of the British Academy, Professor Sir David Cannadine, who is Dodge Professor of History at Princeton University and Editor of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Previous recipients of the medal include writer and historian William Dalrymple, primatologist Dame Jane Goodall, internet entrepreneur Jimmy Wales, and the author Dame Hilary Mantel.

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Speaker: Margaret Atwood, writer and environmental activist

Chair: Professor Sir David Cannadine PBA, President, the British Academy

This event will have live subtitles provided by StageTEXT, delivered by MyClearText. In addition British Sign Language interpretation will be provided by Sarah Meeks (RSLI) and Frances Everingham (RSLI).

A recording of this event will be added to our YouTube channel after the event has taken place.

Image: Canadian author Margaret Atwood. Photographed by Luis Mora.

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