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Writers & Company, November 2

from Bookninja

October 24, 2008

Margaret Atwood as social warrior

Atwood was quite visible during this last election, and her work with PEN and other causes keeps her at the forefront of social justice issues. That said, her first duty is to her art—-but part of what makes art interesting is how it deals with societal ills.

Canadian author Margaret Atwood said Wednesday that while it was not her “mission” to highlight social problems, a fairy-tale world would be tedious for readers.

“There are aspects of my books that are there because they are present in real life. It’s not my mission to carry out this task or else I wouldn’t be a writer, I would be a leader of some movement or a propagandist,” she told a news conference in the northern Spanish town of Oviedo.

“It would bore us all to read something where everything is wonderful, where everything goes well, without any problems,” she added.

Canadian singers Feist and Martha Wainwright will board a boat for Greenland later this month for a trip meant to inspire works about climate change.

Wainwright, Feist to set sail for climate change inspiration.

Read the article and think about the relationship between politics and art, and why some stories get told.

Or- listen to the interview with Feist about the project on Q, found here