Dangerous mind: The formidable Margaret Atwood

Subject: Dangerous mind: The formidable Margaret Atwood Sun Aug 04, 2013 1:25 am

Small in stature and build, narrow-faced, and slightly bowed by her 73 years, Margaret Atwood is reminiscent of a delicate bird as she walks purposefully, but without haste, along the street in her home town of Toronto. When she talks about her new book, however, it does not take long for the bird of prey to appear.

As soon as the conversation turns to matters of note, her eyes are fierce as a hawk's, and she will sometimes pounce - with unfailing politeness - to answer questions before they are completed, or pick apart a word.

For now, though, the Canadian author, widely regarded as one of the finest writers and intellects of her generation, is chirping happily about ''the rellies, the cossies and the mozzies''. Atwood smiles as she reveals her familiarity with Australian slang, gleaned from numerous visits over the decades. She comes not just for writers festivals, such as those in Brisbane and Perth earlier this year, but also because ''we have rellies in Brisbane''.

''Graeme's mother was Australian,'' Atwood says, referring to her partner, author Graeme Gibson. ''She came to Canada and had a radio program in the '30s. She was called the Australian Songbird, and played the ukulele. Isn't that romantic?'' Gibson has visited his Brisbane ''rellies'' since the age of two. ''We've been back [to Australia] a number of times, including to the north,'' she says, adding that the birdwatching there is particularly rewarding.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/dangerous-mind-the-formidable-margaret-atwood-20130801-2r03c.html?skin=text-only

Dangerous mind: The formidable Margaret Atwood

Dangerous mind: The formidable Margaret Atwood

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