Margaret Atwood Discusses Criticism and Dystopian Themes

Margaret Atwood, the mind behind “The Handmaid’s Tale,” shared her experiences with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” revealing that she’s received more pushback from the political left than the right, particularly for not adhering to their expectations on political matters.

While promoting her latest memoir, “Book of Lives: A Memoir of a Kind,” the 85-year-old author reflected on the criticism directed at her dystopian novels since their inception in 1985. Atwood noted that although the left has generally embraced her work, she often finds herself targeted by them, which seemed to surprise correspondent Jon Wertheim.

“I think the right thinks I’m irrelevant,” she commented. “The left thinks I should have preached their sermon, no matter what happened, and therefore think I’m a traitor for not doing what they themselves would have done.” Atwood humorously remarked that her response to her critics on the left is “unprintable,” though she added it involved some choice gestures.

Interestingly, left-wing protesters have taken to dressing as characters from “The Handmaid’s Tale” to express opposition against the Trump administration, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

During the interview, Atwood expressed concerns about the U.S. potentially veering toward totalitarianism, a notion she found troubling. She observed that such regimes often manipulate media narratives and weaken judicial independence, merging it with executive power. “There’s always something that happens in a totalitarian coup,” she explained, stressing the importance of judicial integrity.

The resurgence of “The Handmaid’s Tale” gained momentum following the Hulu adaptation that premiered in 2017, coinciding with Donald Trump’s presidency. The series’ sixth and concluding season was released in April 2025.

In addition, Atwood published a sequel, “The Testament,” in 2019, and an adaptation of it is set to debut in March 2026.