Life Before Man
Novel by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood
 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Margaret Atwood |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | McClelland and Stewart |
Publication date | 1979 |
| Media type | |
Life Before Man is a novel by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood. It was first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1979 and was a finalist for the Governor General's Award.
The novel has three principal characters: Nate, Elizabeth and Lesje. Nate and Elizabeth are an unhappily married couple, with both husband and wife involved in extramarital affairs. Lesje, pronounced 'Lashia,' is Nate's lover of mixed (Ukrainian and Jewish) ancestry and works along with his wife in the department of paleontology in Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto as a paleontologist fascinated by dinosaurs, giving the book its title. (Both the museum and the city are described in the book in great detail and are immediately recognizable. The author also pays a lot of attention to Lesje's search of identity; her mixed ethnic roots caused her in the past and continue to cause her considerable anguish.) Elizabeth, said to have been inspired by Shirley Gibson, ex-wife of Atwood's partner Graeme Gibson,[1] also takes a lover, Chris, who recently committed suicide. All three of the novel's main characters influence the narration, with each chapter presenting events from a particular character's perspective.
Reception and reviews
Feminist author Marilyn French gave the novel a positive review in the New York Times, calling it a "splendid, fully integrated work."[2]
References
- ^ Busby, Brian (2003). Character Parts: Who's Really Who in CanLit. Toronto: Vintage Canada. ISBN 0-676-97579-8.
- ^ French, Marilyn (February 3, 1980). "Spouses And Lovers". The New York Times.
- v
- t
- e
Works by Margaret Atwood
- The Edible Woman (1969)
- Surfacing (1972)
- Lady Oracle (1976)
- Life Before Man (1979)
- Bodily Harm (1981)
- The Handmaid's Tale (1985)
- Cat's Eye (1988)
- The Robber Bride (1993)
- Alias Grace (1996)
- The Blind Assassin (2000)
- Oryx and Crake (2003)
- The Penelopiad (2005)
- The Year of the Flood (2009)
- MaddAddam (2013)
- The Heart Goes Last (2015)
- Hag-Seed (2016)
- The Testaments (2019)
collections
- Dancing Girls (1977)
- Murder in the Dark (1983)
- Bluebeard's Egg (1983)
- Wilderness Tips (1991)
- Good Bones (1992)
- Good Bones and Simple Murders (1994)
- The Labrador Fiasco (1996)
- The Tent (2006)
- Moral Disorder (2006)
- Stone Mattress (2014)
- Old Babes in the Wood (2023)
- "Rape Fantasies" (1977)
- "The Resplendent Quetzal" (1977)
- "Happy Endings" (1983)
- "Unearthing Suite" (1983)
- "Freeforall" (1986)
collections
- Double Persephone (1961)
- The Circle Game (1964)
- Expeditions (1965)
- Speeches for Doctor Frankenstein (1966)
- The Animals in That Country (1968)
- The Journals of Susanna Moodie (1970)
- Procedures for Underground (1970)
- Power Politics (1971)
- You Are Happy (1974)
- Two-Headed Poems (1978)
- True Stories (1981)
- Interlunar (1984)
- Morning in the Burned House (1995)
- The Door (2007)
- Dearly (2020)
- Survival (1972)
- Negotiating with the Dead (2002)
- Writing with Intent (2005)
- Payback (2008)
- Burning Questions (2022)
- Heaven on Earth (1987)
