小说家、诗人、文学评论家，被誉为“加拿大文学女王”。2017年，她还凭借其众多作品获得了全美书评人协会颁发的终身成就奖。

在此之前，玛格丽特·阿特伍德曾凭借《使女的故事》《 猫眼》《别名格雷斯》，曾获得吉勒尔奖和布克文学奖提名，并最终通过《盲刺客》摘得布克文学奖桂冠。截 至目前为止，已有14部诗集、11部长篇小说、5部短篇小说集和3部文学评论出版，并主编了《牛津加拿大英语诗歌》、《牛津加拿大英语短篇小说》等文集。

近年来，她于1985年创作的长篇小说《使女的故事》在被《铁皮鼓》导演搬上荧幕后，再度获得影视圈青睐，同名剧集由《广告狂人》女主角伊丽莎白·莫斯搭档约瑟夫·费因斯共同出演。在文学界，《使女的故事》可以与阿尔多斯·赫胥黎的《美丽新世界》及乔治·奥威尔的《1984》相媲美。

玛格丽特·阿特伍德的文字极具个人风格，她善于从女性的视角透视人类社会面临的种种问题，往往给人一种犀利、深刻的耳目一新感。《女巫的子孙》同样沿袭了这一风格，既保留了莎翁戏剧的原味，又在反复铺陈、发酵的情节推进中将故事的戏剧张力最大化，赋予经典作品以历久弥新的韵味和别具匠心的思考维度。

2017年，玛格丽特·阿特伍德凭借这本书入围百利女性小说奖长名单。

William Shakespeare's The Tempest retold as Hag-Seed

Felix is at the top of his game as Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival. His productions have amazed and confounded. Now he's staging a Tempest like no other: not only will it boost his reputation, it will heal emotional wounds.

Or that was the plan. Instead, after an act of unforeseen treachery, Felix is living in exile in a backwoods hovel, haunted by memories of his beloved lost daughter, Miranda. And also brewing revenge.

After twelve years, revenge finally arrives in the shape of a theatre course at a nearby prison. Here, Felix and his inmate actors will put on his Tempest and snare the traitors who destroyed him. It's magic! But will it remake Felix as his enemies fall?

Margaret Atwood’s novel take on Shakespeare’s play of enchantment, retribution, and second chances leads us on an interactive, illusion-ridden journey filled with new surprises and wonders of its own.