Margaret Atwood interviewed at the Globe where they speculate in the lede about whether her dystopian visions could come to pass. More important, I suggest to figure out whether or not some of them HAVE come to pass.
You’ve described The Year of the Flood as the blueprint for a possible future, a warning. Is it correct to describe this as a form of activist writing?
What is activism? I’m not an activist by nature. I’m a rabbit in the Eastern astrological chart, and we like to stay in our burrows and lead quiet lives. In the Western astrological chart, I’m a Scorpio, and we like to spend our time in the toes of shoes, and we’re quite happy there unless somebody puts their foot in. [laughs]
I mean, some people are professional activists. That would be Naomi Klein and other people. It’s their métier, it’s their business. So I would say that it’s not activist writing in that sense, since there is no “one thing” that I want the reader to do.
I don’t want you to come out from the book and sign a petition. I don’t want you to invent a disease that will wipe out humanity. I would say activist writing has a goal in mind, a very specific goal that they want the reader to do.