Margaret Atwood warns world is ‘fertile for dictators’ due to ‘polarisation’ of political climate

The Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood has warned to ‘be prepared’ for a world ‘fertile for dictators’. 

Canadian novelist Margaret, 81, who penned the classic dystopian novel set in a totalitarian North America, said that ‘extremes at both ends’ of the political sphere are becoming more and more polarised. 

She says while the recent US election – which will see Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take office following Donald Trump‘s four year administration – was a ‘dodged bullet’, there is still reason to fear the extreme political climate both in the US and around the world.   

In an interview with Stylist magazine, she warned that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change are further ‘unsettling civic order’ and ‘frightening the moderates’. 

The Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood, pictured at a reading of ‘The Testaments’, has warned to ‘be prepared’ for a world that’s ‘fertile for dictators’

Margaret’s dystopian novel details a dystopian society in the near future in which fertile women, known as handmaids, are forced to provide children for the rich and influential. Pictured, Elisabeth Moss in the TV adaptation of the book

‘The political climate is coming to resemble – to this oldie – the polarisation of the 1930s… with extremes at both ends frightening the moderates, who get shot at by both sides,’ she said. 

‘Compounded by the rising tide of Covid, which is unsettling civic order, and by the effects of climate change, ditto. Fertile grounds for dictators. Be prepared.’ 

In February, the novelist once again warned against the effects of climate change, claiming that women’s rights and the climate crisis are ‘very connected’.

Margaret, who is also a keen environmental activist, said that those who ‘want to suppress women’ are the same people who often ‘want to pretend there is no climate crisis’.

In February, the novelist (pictured in 2019) warned against the effects of climate change, claiming that women’s rights and the climate crisis are ‘very connected’

Margaret’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale became an instant feminist classic upon its release in 1985.  

The book details a dystopian society in the near future in which fertile women, known as handmaids, are forced to provide children for the rich and influential. 

Last year the author released a sequel to her iconic novel, which managed to scoop the Man Booker Prize two months before it was even released. The book is set 15 years after The Handmaid’s Tale.  

The original novel has been made into a popular TV series, which was met with critical acclaim when it debuted in 2017, pictured, Elisabeth Moss as handmaid Offred

The original novel has been made into a popular TV series, which was met with critical acclaim when it debuted in 2017, winning five Primetime Emmy Awards for its first season. 

Mad Men actress Elisabeth Moss plays handmaid Offred, the main character in the series, alongside Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel and Ann Dowd.

The third season aired over the summer and Hulu has picked up the show, which dropped slightly in ratings and acclaim for a fourth.