<DIV>Although Margaret Atwood has been the subject of a great deal of literary criticism and commentary, this is the first biography of the celebrated author, poet, critic, and social activist whose critically and popularly acclaimed works include <i>Surfacing</i>, <i>Cat's Eye</i>, <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i>, and <i>Alias Grace</i>. The Atwood who emerges in these pages is an intense and driven woman, struggling daily to balance the demands of her own artistic perfectionism with her commitment to enjoying a rich and varied private life. Nathalie Cooke (a former president of the Margaret Atwood Society) traces an astonishing network of interconnections that weaves its way through Atwood's past and present: friends, lovers, wives, and husbands who become each others' publishers, editors, promoters, and critics. Cooke follows the web, and along the way discloses some of Atwood's most painful and personal moments, including broken engagements, betrayals, and divorce. This biography follows Atwood's development as a major figure in the evolution of contemporary Canadian literature and culture, and at the same time chronicles the reception of her works and her own ongoing creation of her public persona.<br></div>