Margaret Atwood, b. 1939

Margaret Atwood, a poet, novelist, essayist, and literary critic, is one of the most-honored authors of fiction alive: she is the recipient of over 55 awards both in Canada and internationally. Atwood started writing at the age of 6, and by 16, she knew that she wanted to write professionally. Several of her books, including 1969’s The Edible Woman and 1985’s The Handmaid’s Tale, feature female characters that are dominated by a patriarchy, although Atwood has said that she doesn’t consider herself a feminist author. An environmentalist, Atwood campaigns for greener living through her writing (both fiction and non-fiction) and politically; she even invented a device called the LongPen that allows authors to speak via Internet chat, then sign books at a distance, so that authors can interact with fans without expending fuel for book tours.