内容简介
Itistheworldofthenearfuture,andOffredisaHandmaidinthehomeoftheCommanderandhiswife.Sheisallowedoutonceadaytothefoodmarket,sheisnotpermittedtoread,andsheishopingtheCommandermakesherpregnant,becausesheisonlyvaluedifherovariesareviable.Offredcanremembertheyearsbefore,whenshewasanindependentwoman,hadajobofherown,ahusbandandchild.Butallofthatisgonenow...everythinghaschanged.
作者简介
WhenMargaretAtwoodannouncedtoherfriendsthatshewantedtobeawriter,shewasonly16yearsold.ItwasCanada.Itwasthe1950s.Nooneknewwhattothink.Nonetheless,Atwoodbeganherwritingcareerasapoet.PublishedIn1964whileshewasstillastudentatHarvard,hersecondpoetryanthology,TheCircleGame,wasawardedtheGovernorGeneral'sAward,oneofCanada'smostesteemedliteraryprizes.Sincethen,Atwoodhasgoneontopublishmanymorevolumesofpoetry(aswellasliterarycriticism,essays,andshortstories),butitishernovelsforwhichsheisbestknown.Atwood'sfirstforayintofictionwas1966'sTheEdibleWoman,anarrestingstoryaboutawomanwhostopseatingbecauseshefeelsherlifeisconsumingher.Grabbingtheattentionofcritics,whoapplaudeditsstartlinglyoriginalpremise,thenovelexploredfeministthemesAtwoodhasrevisitedtimeandtimeagainduringherlong,prolificliterarycareer.Sheisfamousforstrong,compellingfemaleprotagonists--fromthebreastcancersurvivorinBodilyHarmtotheruefulartistinCat'sEyetothefatefullyintertwinedsistersinherBookerPrize-winningnovelTheBlindAsassin.PerhapsAtwood'smostlegendarycharacterisOffred,thetragic"breeder"inwhatisarguablyhermostfamousbook,1985'sTheHandmaid'sTale.Partfable,partsciencefiction,andpartdystopiannightmare,thisnovelpresentedaharrowingvisionofwomen'slivesinanoppressivefuturisticsociety.TheWashingtonPostcomparedit(favorably)toGeorgeOrwell'siconic1984.Asifherstatusasamulti-award-winning,triple-threatwriter(fiction,poetry,andessays)werenotenough,Atwoodhasalsoproducedseveralchildren'sbooks,includingPrincessPrunellaandthePurplePeanut(1995)andRudeRamsayandtheRoaringRadishes(2003)--deliciousalliterativedelightsthatintroduceawealthofnewvocabularytoyoungreaders.
