Margaret Atwood Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario, on November 18, 1939. Because her father was a forest entomologist, Atwood spent most of her childhood living in the Canadian wilderness. During the eight months of each year that her father did insect research in the forest, the Atwood family lived in "a cabin with a wood stove and several kerosene lanterns. There were bears and wolves and moose and loons" (qtd. in "Author Profile"). While this lifestyle was exciting, she did not have most modern conveniences and technology. To entertain herself, Atwood readbooks. They became her only mea