A Goodreads user
asked
Margaret Atwood:
How would you describe your " genre"?I struggle in stating a genre for my own first novel, and by searching I realise I do not know what genre your books, or my other favourite Salman Rushdie's books are. I read most of your and his novels. My two most favourite books of yours are " Cat's Eye" , " Blind Assassin" and " Penelopiad" What genre are they in your opinion? Lucie
Margaret Atwood
Hello: Nobody talked much about "genres" until maybe 15-20 years ago. Primarily the term is useful for: 1) Helping bookstores arrange books on shelves and b) Allowing people to sneer at certain kinds of books, and/or claim a section of literary turf for themselves in order to restrict the clubhouse.
It doesn't REALLY matter what "genre" your book is. What matters is that it's a good book of its kind. Whatever that kind may be. I am too old to have ever been very worried about what "genre" any given book of mine might be. I read everything. But then, I am easily amused.
It doesn't REALLY matter what "genre" your book is. What matters is that it's a good book of its kind. Whatever that kind may be. I am too old to have ever been very worried about what "genre" any given book of mine might be. I read everything. But then, I am easily amused.
More Answered Questions
Danny Miller
asked
Margaret Atwood:
Margaret, To take just two of your Dystopian worlds--that of The Handmaid's Tale and that of the MaddAddam trilogy--each holds a place of exile, whether it's the Pleeblands or the Colonies. Do you think this (perhaps post-colonialist) trait is necessary for Dystopian fiction? What other traits are? A caste-system, surely, but what are less obvious elements that you think make up a Dystopian society?
Penny
asked
Margaret Atwood:
In my life thus far as a writer I've come across two camps of successful (in the publishing sense) writers - those that plan their novel manuscripts before contemplating the start of writing them, and those that 'wing it'. How much planning goes into your work? I clearly see a level of planning, how much time do you spend on it? And does your research come before, during or after the planning stage?
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