Some good – and timely – news on International Women’s Day: Margaret Atwood will tour the UK later this year to promote The Testaments, the long-awaited sequel to her 1985 classic The Handmaid’s Tale. Due out in September, the book will be set 15 years after the original novel and consists of the “explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead” according to publisher Chatto & Windus. Its release comes after the first two seasons of the Emmy-winning adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale brought a fresh generation of readers to the dystopian classic. The third season of the hit drama is expected to premiere on June 5.
The Canadian author will kick off the six-date tour at the National Theatre on September 10, where her discussion will be broadcast to thousands of cinemas around the world. Appearances in Gateshead, Salford, Birmingham, Oxford, Brighton and Dublin will follow. Atwood will also be attending the midnight launch of The Testaments at Waterstones Piccadilly on September 9.
The Booker Prize winner announced last year that a sequel to the bestselling The Handmaid’s Tale was in the pipeline. “I’m writing a sequel to The #HandmaidsTale. #TheTestaments is set 15 years after Offred’s final scene and is narrated by three female characters,” she Tweeted alongside a video that read: “Everything you’ve ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we’ve been living in.” Few additional details have been revealed about the plot – but, suffice to say, it will be one of the literary events of the year. In the meantime: nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
