The Canadian writer and teacher has earned the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, officials of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize officials announced Monday.
The award is named for the late U.S. diplomat who brokered the 1995 Bosnian peace accords reached in the Ohio city.
Some readers of “The Handmaid's Tale” saw in the leaders of authoritarian Gilead similarities to the rise of Republican Donald Trump to president in the election of 2016.
Sharon Rab, the founder and chairwoman of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation, praised Atwood for popular success with writing that also educates people about pressing social justice and environmental issues.
“The Testaments,” her 2019 sequel to “The Handmaid's Tale,” quickly joined her bestsellers.