被譽為“加拿大文學女王”的瑪格麗特•阿特伍德是一位勤奮多産的作傢，她獲得過除諾貝爾文學奬之外的幾乎所有的國際文學奬和不計其數的其他奬勵和榮譽，並被多倫多大學等十多所國內外大學授予榮譽博士學位，享有很高的國際聲譽。其作品已被譯成30多種文字。

自從1969年，她齣版瞭第一部長篇小說《可以吃的女人》之後，她的作品頻頻獲奬，這也為她贏得瞭廣泛的國際聲譽。她創作的三部優秀長篇小說《女僕的故事》（1985）、《貓眼》（1988）、《彆名格雷斯》（1996）曾三次獲得布剋奬提名，最後憑藉第十部小說《盲刺客》摘得瞭這項最高文學奬的桂冠。

阿特伍德的影響不僅跨越瞭國界，也跨越瞭文學領域。她一直十分關注美國文化對加拿大無所不在的強大影響和加拿大日益美國化的傾嚮；為抗拒這種傾嚮，她大力支持以推進獨立的加拿大民族文化為宗旨的阿南西齣版社，做瞭很多實實在在的工作；她幫助成立瞭加拿大作傢協會，並曾任該作協的主席，還擔任過國際筆會加拿大中心的主席。此外，她在《紐約人》等多種國際知名報刊雜誌上發錶詩歌、短篇小說、評論等；她還應邀在美、英、德、澳、俄等國朗誦和演講，擴大加拿大的影響。上世紀八十年代以來，她開始關注另一領域——環境保護，顯示瞭很強的生態意識，並因這方麵的創作、論述和所采取的行動而獲得環境保護和社會活動方麵的榮譽和奬勵。同時，她越來越多地介入國際政治：如反對美加自由貿易法案、為“大赦國際” 組織的鬥爭在加拿大開闢陣地，等等。總之，在過去的約30年中，她一直以加拿大文學代言人的身份活躍在世界文壇，被列在“二十世紀最有影響力的一百位加拿大人”的第五位。

The long-awaited new novel from Margaret Atwood. The Year of the Flood is a dystopic masterpiece and a testament to her visionary power.

The times and species have been changing at a rapid rate, and the social compact is wearing as thin as environmental stability. Adam One, the kindly leader of the God's Gardeners—a religion devoted to the melding of science and religion, as well as the preservation of all plant and animal life—has long predicted a natural disaster that will alter Earth as we know it. Now it has occurred, obliterating most human life. Two women have survived: Ren, a young trapeze dancer locked inside the high-end sex club Scales and Tails, and Toby, a God's Gardener barricaded inside a luxurious spa where many of the treatments are edible.

Have others survived? Ren's bioartist friend Amanda? Zeb, her eco-fighter stepfather? Her onetime lover, Jimmy? Or the murderous Painballers, survivors of the mutual-elimination Painball prison? Not to mention the shadowy, corrupt policing force of the ruling powers . . .

Meanwhile, gene-spliced life forms are proliferating: the lion/lamb blends, the Mo'hair sheep with human hair, the pigs with human brain tissue. As Adam One and his intrepid hemp-clad band make their way through this strange new world, Ren and Toby will have to decide on their next move. They can't stay locked away . . .

By turns dark, tender, violent, thoughtful, and uneasily hilarious, The Year of the Flood is Atwood at her most brilliant and inventive.

From the Hardcover edition.