May 24, 2022

Burn-proof edition of 'The Handmaid's Tale' up for auction

Posted May 24, 2022 1:39 PM

NEW YORK (AP) — Margaret Atwood has imagined apocalyptic disaster, Dystopian government and an author faking her own death.

But until recently she had spared herself the nightmare of trying to burn one of her own books.

With a flamethrower.

On Monday night, during PEN America’s annual gala, Atwood and Penguin Random House announced that a one-off, unburnable edition of “The Handmaid’s Tale” would be auctioned through Sotheby’s New York.

They launched the initiative with a brief video that shows Atwood attempting in vain to incinerate her classic novel about a totalitarian patriarchy.

Proceeds will be donated to PEN, which advocates for free expression around the world.