Margaret Atwood, the Prophet of Dystopia - The New Yorker

Atwood has long been Canada's most famous writer, and current events have polished the oracular sheen of her reputation. With the election of an American President whose campaign trafficked openly in the deprecation of women-and who, on his first working day in office, signed an executive order withdrawing federal funds from overseas women's-health organizations that offer abortion services-the novel that Atwood dedicated to Mary Webster has reappeared on best-seller lists. "The Handmaid's Tale" is also about to be serialized on television, in an adaptation, starring Elisabeth Moss, that will stream on Hulu. The timing could not be more fortuitous, though many people may wish that it were less so. In a photograph taken the day after the Inauguration, at the Women's March on Washington, a protester held a sign bearing a slogan that spoke to the moment: "make margaret atwood fiction again."