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Atwood brandishes her caustic tongue

Broadcast Date: Sept. 27, 1977

"Can I say something very rude?" A frustrated Margaret Atwood asks CBC's Hana Gartner. She suggests Gartner is more suited to interviews about Harlequin Romances than the stories in Atwood's latest book Dancing Girls. The interview spirals downhill. The writer's infamous reputation for being testy and formidable rears itself. When Gartner confronts Atwood and asks why she is so guarded, the 37-year-old writer retorts: "You haven't asked me anything about myself." The phrase catches Gartner off guard and red-faced.

Atwood brandishes her caustic tongue

• It's no secret Atwood doesn't like doing interviews. She has a reputation for being impatient and aloof with the media. At various times she has been called Medusa-like, the dragon lady and even a black-magic witch. — New York Times, Dec. 30, 1996

• Atwood remains tight-lipped when it comes to her personal life, especially questions about her long-time partner, writer Graeme Gibson.

• Atwood has refused to allow journalists in to her home. "They would review the furniture and some of it is Graeme's grandfather's furniture. I don't want my personality coming out like Graeme's grandfather." — New York Times, Dec. 30, 1996

Atwood brandishes her caustic tongue

Medium: Television

Program: Take 30

Broadcast Date: Sept. 27, 1977

Guest(s): Margaret Atwood

Host: Hana Gartner, Paul Soles

Duration: 19:36

Last updated:
April 4, 2008