The booklist of an ardent Atwood admirer
Looking ahead to Margaret Atwood Reading Month – a literary jolly hosted by fellow book bloggers Naomi and Marcie – I felt now might be the ideal time to post a comprehensive checklist of Atwood’s publications from 1961 to the present day. I do this partly to maintain some sort of structure in my otherwise muddled life; to a greater extent because I’m a listophile unable to control my record-keeping urges; but mostly (and most unrealistically) because I would dearly love to read everything this extraordinary author has ever written.
Margaret Atwood is a prolific writer of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. I have tended mainly to read her novels but would now like to tackle her other works (especially the short stories and essay collections) while continuing to make my way through her long fiction.
THE NOVELS
The Edible Woman (1969) ✓
Surfacing (1972) ✓
Lady Oracle (1976)
Life Before Man (1979)
Bodily Harm (1981) ✓
The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) ✓
Cat’s Eye (1988) ✓
The Robber Bride (1993)
Alias Grace (1996) ✓
The Blind Assassin (2000) ✓
Oryx and Crake (2003) ✓
The Penelopiad (2005) ✓
The Year of the Flood (2009) ✓
MaddAddam (2013) ✓
The Heart Goes Last (2015)
Hag-Seed (2016)
The Testaments (2019) ✓
GRAPHIC NOVELS
Angel Catbird (2016)
SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS
Dancing Girls (1977)
Murder in the Dark (1983)
Bluebeard’s Egg (1985)
Wilderness Tips (1991)
Good Bones (1992)
The Tent (2006)
Moral Disorder (2006)
Stone Mattress: Nine Tales (2014)
SMALL PRESS FICTION
Encounters with the Element Man (1982)
Unearthing Suite (1983)
Bottle (2004)
I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth (2012)
MISCELLANIOUS
Freedom: Vintage Minis (2018) ✓
CHILDREN’S FICTION
Up in the Tree (1978)
Anna’s Pet (with Joyce Barkhouse) (1980)
For the Birds (1990)
Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut (1995)
Rude Ramsay and the Roaring Radishes (2003)
Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda (2004)
Up in the Tree (facsimile reprint) (2006)
Wandering Wenda and Widow Wallop’s Wunderground Washery (2011)
NON-FICTION
Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature (1972)
Days of the Rebels 1815-1840 (1977)
Second Words: Selected Critical Prose (1982)
Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature (1995)
Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing (2002) ✓
Moving Targets: Writing with Intent 1982-2004 (2004)
Curious Pursuits: Occasional Writing (2005)
Writing with Intent: Essays, Reviews, Personal Prose 1983-2005 (2005)
Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth (2008)
In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination (2011)
POETRY
Double Persephone (1961)
The Circle Game (1964)
Kaleidoscopes Baroque: a poem (1965)
Talismans for Children (1965)
Speeches for Doctor Frankenstein (1966)
The Animals in That Country (1969)
The Journals of Susanna Moodie (1970)
Procedures for Underground (1970)
Power Politics (1971)
You Are Happy (1975)
Selected Poems (1976)
Selected Poems, 1965-1975 (1976)
Marsh, Hawk (1977)
Two-Headed Poems (1978)
True Stories (1981)
Notes Towards a Poem that Can Never be Written (1981)
Snake Poems (1983)
Interlunar (1984)
Selected Poems II: Poems Selected and New, 1976-1986 (1986)
Selected Poems 1966-1984 (1990)
Margaret Atwood Poems 1976-1986 (1991)
Morning in the Burned House (1995)
Eating Fire: Selected Poetry 1965-1995 (1998)
The Door (2007)
I apologise if there are titles missing from my list – I make no claims this is a complete Atwood bibliography. Please feel free to drop me a line with additions, amendments and suggestions.
Other Atwood Related Content on Book Jotter
Categories: Features
Love her! Actually I haven’t even read any of her nonfiction, I’m gonna investigate your list! I really loved the Robber Bride (although it was ages ago that I read it) and recommend that one!
Thank you, Rennie. So pleased my list has inspired you to read some of Atwood’s non-fiction.
I also highly recommend Robber Bride. Out of the nine books by Atwood I’ve read, Robber Bride is at the top. 😀
It’s so good! I still love Handmaid’s Tale best but it’s a close second 🙂
I LOVE Margaret Atwood! I haven’t read a book of hers yet that I wasn’t amazed by, her writing is incredible X
Completely agree, India. She’s a wonderful writer! 😊
You were not kidding when you said ‘prolific’. I think Atwood must be the epitome of prolific. I have to add, that outside of school ( a million years ago) I haven’t read Atwood, I don’t know quite why?
You’re right there, Alexandra. If I had also added her journalism, TV scripts, audio stuff etc to the list… Well, I would still be compiling it this time next week!
Brilliant- thank you Paula!
You’re welcome, as always, Madame B. I appreciate your kind comment. I was well chuffed to see you will be taking part in Margaret Atwood Reading Month. Splendid news! 😃
Thanks Paula – I’ve been in a bit of a blogging slump but the Margaret Atwood Reading Month is part of my plan to haul myself out if it! Your encouragement is much appreciated 🙂
It happens to everyone at some point. Sometimes you just need a short break from reviewing and hopefully your blogging mojo returns with renewed vigour!
Fantastic Paula, I’ve been a Margaret Atwood fan since high school. Just finished The MaddAddam Trilogy a couple months ago.
Thank you, Rose Marie. I was completely hooked on the MaddAddam novels – wonderful stuff!
You’re welcome! 😊
Thanks for the list! My reading of Atwood’s work has been quite hit-or-miss, but I always have such good intentions of giving her her due.
You’re welcome, Mary.
What a great photo of The Handmaid’s Tale and Hagseed!
Thanks Naomi. I took it at this year’s Hay Festival – along with lots of pictures of Atwood herself!
She’s so prolific, right? What a great list to have. I have Maddadam lined up to read next month.
She certainly is, Cathy. There’s barely a year in which she hasn’t produced something since the mid 1960s. Hope you enjoy MaddAddam!
I loved The Heart Goes Last, really need to read more of her books!
That’s another one I have on my TBR shelf waiting to be read. Many thanks for the recommendation, Lisa!
Her Gertrude soliloquy with Hamlet is one of her best.
I’ve still got that reading pleasure to come.
Holey moley, Paula, I didn’t know she wrote children’s books. Thanks for that!
Heh, heh! I love that expression. I always get a mental picture of mole in a mitre brandishing a thurible!
Leaving such silliness aside: yes, Atwood has written a fair few books for children. Unfortunately, I haven’t read a single one (yet!), so cannot comment. I would love to hear your opinion should you read any of them, Gretchen.
Paula, sounds like you’ve read Brian Jacques ‘Redwall’ series, beautiful medieval anthropomorphic heroes. Okay, challenge accepted! I will seek out, read and comment in due course.
I haven’t read the Redwall series but you have piqued my curiosity. Excellent news. I really look forward to reading your comments. 😊
Hmm (strokes chin thoughtfully) and maybe an Atwood kids book review…
Yes! 🤗
Cutting to the chase with this book on order—
Title: A Trio of Tolerable Tales
Author: Margaret Atwood, illustrator Dušan Petričić
Edition: Illustrated
Publisher: Groundwood Books Limited, 2017
ISBN: 1554989345, 9781554989348
Length: 52 pages
Audience: Young readers, chapter book, wordplay, adventure.
Inside: Three previously published humorous stories about Rude Ramsay, Bashful Bob and Wandering Wenda brought together in the one hardcover volume. To be continued…
Hey, you’re a fast worker. Hope it’s as good as it sounds. 😊
🙂
My “A Trio of Tolerable Tales” review has been posted 😉
Oh, righty ho, Gretchen. On my way over to take a look right now! 😃
So much wonderful Atwood! I could happily spend a year just reading her (if I had a spare year…)
Too true. It’s such a joyful feeling knowing there are so many more Atwood creations just waiting to be read!
Wow, I had no idea Atwood wrote so many books, and that she also wrote poetry! I really need to read more of her creations, this list is truly inspiring!
She’s amazing – and shows no sign of slowing down or losing any of her literary powers. If anything, she has become more prolific with age!
Thanks so much for compiling this extensive list.
It’s a pleasure, Joyce. Hope you find it useful.
I love Margaret Atwood! I had no idea she wrote children’s books!! I highly recommend The Edible Woman, it’s one of my favorite books.
Many thanks for the recommendation, Cecelia. I have the book on my TBR shelf and hope to read it next month, time permitting!
Thank you so much for this list! I had no idea Atwood had so many published poetry collections! The publication dates in all of these are quite intriguing, as well. I am interested that Atwood has jumped across these genres during her whole writing career. Do you own many of these?
It was a pleasure to collate, Jackie. I own only one of her poetry books, which I’m hoping to fit in to my reading schedule next month, but have at least four of her novels sitting on my TBR shelf. 😊
Oh wow! That’s quite a TBR of Atwood, but I can understand how you might have so many waiting when she is so prolific. I look forward to your eventual review of her poetry. I haven’t heard anything about it before!
Wow, thanks for the extensive list. I have read only The Handmaid’s tale and Alias Grace and I have Hagseed and Stone Mattress collection with me. I should be reading it soon and I dunno what I am waiting for.
You’re welcome, Gayathri. Happy reading!
This list made me realize I never knew Atwood wrote children’s books!
She slips in and out of genres in a way few other authors are able. I’m hoping to read one of her children’s books very soon.