Cambridge, MA.... Acclaimed Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood will present a talk titled, “‘Oryx and Crake’ Revealed,” at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Sunday, April 4 at 4 p.m. in Room 10-250 (enter 77 Massachusetts Ave.). She will discuss her latest novel which offers a view of the future following a bioengineered apocalypse caused when short-term science outstrips long-term responsibility

Kirkus called "Oryx and Crake," soon to be released in paperback, "a landmark work of speculative fiction, comparable to'A Clockwork Orange' and 'Brave New World.' Margaret Atwood has surpassed herself."

Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa and grew up in northern Ontario and Quebec, and Toronto. She received her undergraduate degree from Victoria College at the University of Toronto and her master’s degree from Radcliffe College. Author of more than 25 volumes of poetry, fiction and nonfiction, she is perhaps best known for her novels, which include "The Edible Woman" (1970), "The Handmaid's Tale" (1983), "The Robber Bride" (1994), "Alias Grace" (1996) and "The Blind Assassin" (2000), winner of the prestigious Booker Prize.

In an interview with Random House, Atwood discussed being a fiction writer in a family of biologists and scientists. “Science and fiction both begin with similar questions,” she said. “What if? Why? How does it all work? But they focus on different areas of life on earth. The experiments of science should be replicable, and those of literature should not be (why write the same book twice)?"

“Please don't make the mistake of thinking that ‘Oryx and Crake’ is anti-science,” she continued. “Science is a way of knowing, and a tool. Like all ways of knowing and tools, it can be turned to bad uses. And it can be bought and sold, and it often is. But it is not in itself bad. Like electricity, it’s neutral.”

While at MIT, Atwood will visit classes, tour labs and share informal meals with faculty, staff and students.

Some of Atwood’s books will be available for purchase at the April 4 event. A book-signing will follow the talk.

No tickets or reservations are necessary. Info: (617) 253-2341.

The Abramowitz Memorial Lecture, presented by The MIT Office of the Arts, was established at MIT through the generosity and imagination of William L. Abramowitz ’35 as a memorial to his father. It has been sustained since his death by the devoted interest of his wife and children. Since 1961, the Series has brought renowned performing artists and writers to MIT to perform, present public lectures, and collaborate with students in free programs.

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