From big tech to breakfast cereal, the iconic author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments dissects the 21st century so far in a series of impish and insightful essays.
From cultural icon Margaret Atwood comes a brilliant collection of essays -- funny, erudite, endlessly curious, uncannily prescient - which seek answers to Burning Questions such as:
Why do people everywhere, in all cultures, tell stories?
How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating?
How can we live on our planet?
Is it true? And is it fair?
What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism?
In over fifty pieces Atwood aims her prodigious intellect and impish humour at the world, and reports back to us on what she finds. This roller-coaster period brought the end of history, a financial crash, the rise of Trump and a pandemic. From debt to tech, the climate crisis to freedom; from when to dispense advice to the young (answer: only when asked) to how to define granola, we have no better guide to the many and varied mysteries of our universe.
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
ISBN: 9781784744519
Number of pages: 496
Weight: 742 g
Dimensions: 240 x 162 x 43 mm
This isn't just a collection of essays for Atwood fans. Rather, this is an attempt to make sense of the world, taking in with characteristic verve everything from Anne of Green Gables to Donald Trump, zombies to censorship . . . While the tone skates from surreal off-kilter wit to impassioned gravity, Atwood always makes the idea of big questions a little more digestible . . . The collection is polyphonic, enthusiastic, illuminating - Sophie Macintosh, i News
Margaret Atwood was recently described in a Guardian interview as "arguably the most famous living literary novelist in the world", and she is undoubtedly the most venerable . . . It's fascinating to read Atwood's reflections on her own novels and their continued relevance . . . but equally striking to see how many pieces she has included here generously celebrating other writers - Stephanie Merritt, Observer
If there's one person in the world from whom you'd want a hot take on the most pressing issues, it would surely be Margaret Atwood . . . She answers our burning questions on climate change, the rise of Trump and on to debt and tech - Joanna Taylor, Evening Standard
With her bold imagination, calm insight, and wit, Atwood gathers diverse strands into a marvellous collection ranging from the history of forests to the nature of science fiction and beyond. Burning Questions is a delicious antidote to intellectual fragmentation that left me inspired - Merlin Sheldrake, author of Entangled Life
A compilation of essays that pick the brain of Booker Prize-winning author Margaret Atwood, this is a wonderfully written insight into everything from zombies to the climate crisis - Stylist
I drank in the book this past weekend, in two warm slugs - Jennifer Senior, Atlantic
[Atwood's] intelligence shines off the page with such intensity it makes you blink - Rose Shepherd, Saga Magazine
The mighty Margaret Atwood writes about everything from granola to Trump - Robbie Millen, The Times, Books to Look Out For 2022*
Atwood's third collection of essays...does not fail to impress... This is one to dip into again and again, and is likely to remain relevant many years into the future - UK Press Syndication
Atwood...always...gets right to the heart of the matter... More than 50 pieces display her astonishing range... Each is written with her trademark wit - Erica Wagner, Harper's Bazaar
"Burning Questions" by Margaret Atwood was a delight to read!
It felt almost like I was having a long, lovely chat with an old friend, in front of a cup of tea.
I particularly enjoyed the autobiographic...
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This is a new collection of commentary, articles, talks and reviews all of which are, exactly as one might expect, erudite, witty and thoughtful. It’s no surprise that Margaret Atwood can write well about almost... More
Even when the writers whose books are being reviewed in some of the essays are unknown to one the essay itself has something to say about the human condition. The other essays once again speak to us about where we are... More
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