Atwood, Margaret
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The speeches are free of charge but please note that the Empire Club of Canada retains copyright. Neither the speeches themselves nor any part of their content may be used for any purpose other than personal interest or research without the explicit permission of the Empire Club of Canada.
The difference between being a "thing" and being "distinguished" in Canada. The difference between being a writer and being a "thing." Ms. Atwood describes her own background, especially literary, and notoriety and its consequences. "… a literature that a society creates and the society itself are not separable." Comments and reactions to her book "Survival." A wry discussion of various "isms," especially a variety of "nationalisms" pertinent to Canada; also hysteria and paranoia and anti-"isms." Ends with the paradoxical comment that "nationalism right now is an international movement."