Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa in 1939. She is Canada's most eminent novelist and poet is the author of more than thirty books of fiction, poetry and critical essays. The Handmaid's Tale, Cat's Eye and Alias Grace have all been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and she has won many literary prizes in other countries. Her work has been translated into thirty-three languages. Her latest novel, The Blind Assassin won the 2000 Booker Prize.