magine a world of crazed evolution, where genetically engineered animals and a race of superhumans are now the primary inhabitants of the planet. The aftermath of a world where a manmade disease—transplanted by a beautiful and unknowing porno star—triggered a simultaneous global chain reaction that led to the eradication of the human race. A world disaster instrumented by the perverse inventions of one man. You have just entered Margaret Atwood’s world of Oryx and Crake.

Atwood’s appearance in Salt Lake City this Saturday, April 3, is going to be particularly exciting given the content of her latest work. Oryx and Crake is a cutting-edge, futuristic novel with apocalyptic undertones. It reveals a world of environmental catastrophe, where an abuse of power and corporate control have led to the downfall of the human race.

We see the remains of this destruction through the eyes of the sole human survivor, Atwood’s main character, Snowman—who, in an ironic twist, is starving to death while the sun roasts him. His memories and flashbacks tell the story of this past—the influences of greed, the calamity that can ensue from scientific pursuits gone awry and the frightening results of genetic engineering and the genetic manipulation of human beings.

Betsy Burton, co-owner of The King’s English Bookshop, is thrilled that Atwood is coming to Salt Lake City—a feat Burton’s been trying to accomplish for more than 20 years, since the bookstore first opened in 1977. Burton said, “I’ve written her more than one fan letter, she’s always been on our short list of authors we’d most like to have.”

What puts Atwood at the top of Burton’s list of favorites? For one, Burton admires brilliant writing wherever she finds it. She also said, “Atwood is fearless. Every novel is wholly unique. She never repeats herself. Some novels even explore complete genres and expand beyond the typical boundaries of those genres.”

Burton is not alone in her admiration of this prolific Canadian novelist and poet—Atwood has garnered international acclaim in her 30 years as a writer. She was awarded the Booker prize in 2000 for The Blind Assassin, her novel Alias Grace won both the Giller Prize and the Premio Mondello, and she won the Sunday Times award for Literary Excellence in Great Britain and the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts de Lettres in France. Clearly, Atwood is a literary force.

Burton finds Atwood’s literary prowess particularly appealing and especially instructive for students at the U. “Students interested in writing and literature can learn more from [Atwood] than from any other novelist living today,” she said. Burton added that Atwood’s novels and poetry are some of the most “remarkable examples of a body of work by a contemporary novelist.”

Burton feels students, writers and the Salt Lake community as a whole need exposure to authors like Atwood to see how one writer can employ many voices, styles and devices. “Atwood opens the world to writers,” she said.

The social messages in Atwood’s novels are provocative, challenging people to think and question the state of the world today. But even then, Burton said, Atwood’s message is “never obvious or predictable. She always has a different take on the larger issues in the world. She views them in all their complexity and asks 50 new questions about the issue.”

This reflective quality is an Atwood trademark. Her stories and their conclusions are never simplistic—her views never reductionary. “She believes in protecting the environment and people,” Burton said. “But she also believes in the possibilities for cruelty inherent in all people. She believes in the intellect as a method of escape and as a stabilizing force, but she also satirizes intellectuals.”

The cautionary tone of Oryx and Crake will also be of interest to those concerned about the well-being of the natural habitats of our state. Atwood’s future world seems all too plausible given the current rate of climatic changes, pollution and the push by governmental administrations to remove protection for wilderness areas.

Burton agreed that Atwood’s world could be just around the corner. “Here in Utah with our arid climate, global warming is of particular concern, and Atwood’s projections of catastrophe seem believable to those living in the desert.”

Burton also said that Oryx and Crake serves as a warning in a time when other warnings are not being heeded. “No one is paying attention to the future consequences from our actions—all our government cares about is the bottom line.” Burton said that the depredation of the environment is going forward at a dizzying pace. “Everything in [Oryx and Crake] is now in its young adulthood. Her world is beginning to look likely.”

Come hear for yourself Saturday, April 3, 2 p.m. at Judge Memorial High School Auditorium, 650 S. 1100 East. General seating tickets are $15 and will include a paperback copy of Oryx and Crake. High school students with ID are $5, which does not include the book.
staff@red-mag.com