meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Open Book with Jenna

Margaret Atwood on ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ & Upcoming Memoir

Open Book with Jenna

NBC News

The Today Show, Today Show, Read With Jenna Book Club Podcast, Read With Jenna Podcast, Jenna Bush Hager, Today, Nbc News, Nbc Today Show, Read With Jenna Book Club, Read With Jenna, Society & Culture, Nbc

4.8784 Ratings

🗓️ 3 July 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Margaret Atwood is a living legend. The Canadian author and poet has written over 50 books and has been published in more than 45 countries. Her 1985 classic "The Handmaid's Tale" garnered acclaim and alarm, predicting a dystopian future in which women had no rights. Now in her 80s, she released her new book, "Old Babes in the Wood," a collection of 15 short stories. Jenna Bush Hager visited Atwood's alma mater, the University of Toronto, where the two sat down to discuss her childhood, career and upcoming memoir.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Margaret Atwood is one of the biggest names in the literary world.

0:12.1

The 83-year-old Canadian author and poet has written over 50 books, published in more than 45 countries.

0:19.0

Kat's Eye and The Blind Assassin are just a few of Margaret's famous works.

0:23.3

But it was her 1985 classic The Handmaid's Tale that garnered massive acclaim and popularity.

0:29.9

She sold more than 8 million copies of the English version, and the recent TV adaptation won multiple Emmy Awards.

0:36.1

Her stories can be deep and dystopian, examining

0:39.1

a world many don't wish to think about. I have the chance to speak with her exclusively around

0:45.0

the time she published her most recent book, Babe in the Woods. We met at the University of Toronto

0:50.2

where she attended college, and we began by reminiscing. We're here in your alma mater and your most recent book you wrote about the curious unfolding

1:17.3

of time does it feel a little bit like that sitting here now where you studied well i didn't

1:24.1

study in this library because it wasn't built yet. So I don't have that relationship

1:30.4

with it. But over time, once it did get built, it was a really good place to send my

1:35.9

manuscripts once the book was published. So they're all in there. It's just better than throwing

1:42.5

them out, don't you think? I know that I spoke with some of the librarians as I entered, and I know they're quite appreciative

1:48.1

to have your archives here. Yes, it got a little bit backed up during COVID because there wasn't

1:53.8

anybody here. So then I expect they got a slight deluge, which they then had to sort out.

2:00.3

But to be on this campus at all, I know it is a campus that you appreciated in many ways.

2:06.8

What was the 18-year-old?

2:09.1

17.

2:10.0

17.

2:10.7

Yes, I skipped.

2:12.3

Of course you did.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NBC News, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NBC News and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.