In early April, Sabine Sparwasser, Ambassador of Germany to Canada, had the great honor to present the Order of Merit, 1st Class (Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse), to Margaret Atwood on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany for her contributions to strengthening the bilateral literary relationship between Germany and Canada, her insights into the mechanics of totalitarianism, and her steadfast defense of democracy and human rights. ✊🏼

📝 Margaret Atwood is an outstanding novelist, acclaimed poet, esteemed literary critic, seasoned teacher, and storyteller, environmental activist, and ingenious inventor. While living in West Berlin in 1984 at the invitation of the DAAD German Academic Exchange Service, Ms. Atwood traveled through East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. She experienced the feeling of constant surveillance and how that affected people’s behaviors. After the film version of her worldwide-bestselling novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” was released in 1990, Ms. Atwood recalled the stark differences in the reactions of audience members at the Berlinale: while the aesthetic of the film spoke to West Germans, East Germans deeply identified with the feeling that no one can be trusted.