Margaret Atwood talks to Paul Holdengraber and it is wonderful.

Margaret Atwood on changing the world…

A large small group of people. I think a small group of people could certainly change it for the worst pretty quickly, and it’s changing it for the better that is often more difficult… especially since your idea of better might be someone else’s idea of worse.

Margaret Atwood on reading vs. watching Shakespeare…

Some of it when you’re reading it you say ‘Oh, c’mon…’ But then when you see it well done it’s so theatrical and the parts where you thought you would laugh you’re actually just horrified.

Margaret Atwood on magic shows…

I entirely enjoy watching magic shows. But I can tell you with my experience of entertaining children that magic shows do not work at young ages, I would say five or younger. Because children of that age see no reason why the rabbit should not come out of the hat. They don’t see it as an extraordinary thing that’s part of their everyday life. There’s a monster under the bed, there’s a rabbit in the hat. So it only works once kids are old enough to figure out that that is impossible—whatever that is.

Margaret Atwood on age and artistry…

I get good reviews because I’m old. I don’t think artists retire. They just get worse. But they don’t always get worse.

Margaret Atwood on the terror of Snow White…

I also saw Snow White at that time which absolutely terrified me—not the seven dwarfs or any of that but the transformation scene where the stepmother drinks the potion and turns into this person just scared the pants off me.”

Margaret Atwood on technology and e-books…

Online is a great place to get the latest news but it’s not a great place to read War and Peace… I think each technology is good for something. They’re not always good for the same things but they wouldn’t be there if they were not good at something. E-books are excellent for traveling. They’re excellent for storing things—storing large numbers of books if you have a small space. I buy copies of my own books to search them…