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Hag-Seed: William Shakespeare's The Tempest Retold: A Novel (Hogarth Shakespeare) Paperback – May 16, 2017

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 4,623 ratings

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The beloved author of The Handmaid’s Tale reimagines Shakespeare’s final, great play, The Tempest, in a gripping and emotionally rich novel of passion and revenge.
 
“A marvel of gorgeous yet economical prose, in the service of a story that’s utterly heartbreaking yet pierced by humor, with a plot that retains considerable subtlety even as the original’s back story falls neatly into place.”—The New York Times Book Review
 
Felix is at the top of his game as artistic director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival. Now he’s staging a
Tempest like no other: not only will it boost his reputation, but it will also heal emotional wounds. Or that was the plan. Instead, after an act of unforeseen treachery, Felix is living in exile in a backwoods hovel, haunted by memories of his beloved lost daughter, Miranda. And also brewing revenge, which, after twelve years, arrives in the shape of a theatre course at a nearby prison.
 
Margaret Atwood’s novel take on Shakespeare’s play of enchantment, retribution, and second chances leads us on an interactive, illusion-ridden journey filled with new surprises and wonders of its own.
 
Praise for Hag-Seed 
 
“What makes the book thrilling, and hugely pleasurable, is how closely Atwood hews to Shakespeare even as she casts her own potent charms, rap-composition included. . . . Part Shakespeare, part Atwood, 
Hag-Seed is a most delicate monster—and that’s ‘delicate’ in the 17th-century sense. It’s delightful.”Boston Globe
 
“Atwood has designed an ingenious doubling of the plot of 
The Tempest: Felix, the usurped director, finds himself cast by circumstances as a real-life version of Prospero, the usurped Duke. If you know the play well, these echoes grow stronger when Felix decides to exact his revenge by conjuring up a new version of The Tempest designed to overwhelm his enemies.”Washington Post 
 
“A funny and heartwarming tale of revenge and redemption . . . 
Hag-Seed is a remarkable contribution to the canon.”—Bustle
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A marvel of gorgeous yet economical prose, in the service of a story that's utterly heartbreaking yet pierced by humor, with a plot that retains considerable subtlety even as the original's back story falls neatly into place."—New York Times Book Review

“What makes the book thrilling, and hugely pleasurable, is how closely Atwood hews to Shakespeare even as she casts her own potent charms, rap-composition included… Part Shakespeare, part Atwood, “Hag-Seed” is a most delicate monster — and that’s “delicate” in the 17th-century sense. It’s delightful.”—
The Boston Globe

“Atwood has designed an ingenious doubling of the plot of “The Tempest”: Felix, the usurped director, finds himself cast by circumstances as a real-life version of Prospero, the usurped Duke. If you know the play well, these echoes grow stronger when Felix decides to exact his revenge by conjuring up a new version of “The Tempest” designed to overwhelm his enemies.”—The Washington Post
 
“A funny and heartwarming tale of revenge and redemption, this latest release in the Hogarth Shakespeare project, whose aim it is to retell Shakespeare's most beloved works through the works of bestselling authors like Anne Tyler and Gillian Flynn,
Hag-Seed is a remarkable contribution to the canon.”—Bustle

“Atwood’s canny remix offers multiple pleasures…[marvel] at the ways she changes, updates, and parallels the play’s magic, grief, vengeance, and showmanship.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
 “…Inventive, heartfelt, and swiftly rendered.” Library Journal, starred review

"Atwood brilliantly pulls off the caper in a short novel that should be assigned to high school students as a hilarious riff on one of Shakespeare's more mystifying plays. It's much more than a retelling; it's an ingenious analysis and critique rolled into one."St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Margaret Atwood's modern retelling is an entertaining romp of revenge, redemption."Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"A triumph [...] The book illuminates the breadth and depth of the whole play. The troupe's workshops on it fizz with perception as Atwood transmits the pleasurable buzz of exploring a literary masterpiece. There won't be a more glowing tribute to Shakespeare in his 400th anniversary year."–Peter Kemp, Sunday Times

"The novel shines a thrilling new light on 
The Tempest's themes of revenge and forgiveness [...] as well as making a strong case for art's ability to "set you free" by helping you understand yourself."–Helen Brown, Sunday Telegraph

"Surpassingly brilliant [...] without question the cleverest "neo-Shakespearean novel" I have ever read [...] the learning and the critical analysis are worn exceptionally lightly, always subordinated to wit, invention, characterisation and slick twists of plot [...] wonderfully ingenious."
–Jonathan Bate, The Times

“…you don't need to be a Shakespeare geek like me to enjoy Hag-Seed; it's a good story, and will introduce you to the play gently, with Felix himself as your guide.”NPR Books

“Hag-Seed is a treat. It’s a beautifully constructed adaptation, one that stands on its own but is even richer when read against its source — and can, in turn, enrich its source material. It’s playful and thoughtful, and it singlehandedly makes a good argument for the value of adapting Shakespeare.”Vox

“Atwood has tremendous fun with Hag-Seed. Those who know the play will especially enjoy her artful treatment of its more poignant storylines. But even someone unfamiliar with Shakespeare will be entertained by this compelling tale of enchantment and second chances, and the rough magic it so delightfully embodies.”-Bookpage

“Readers looking for Atwood’s wit and mastery of language will find it at work here… Atwood more than does justice to the Bard.”
-Chicago Review of Books

“One needn’t be a Shakespeare fan in order to love this retelling of The Tempest…This book is funny and wonderful. Highly recommended for Shakespeare lovers and those seeking revenge.”-Seattle Book Review

About the Author

MARGARET ATWOOD is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, critical essays, and graphic novels. In addition to The Handmaid’s Tale, now an award-winning TV series, her novels include The Testaments, which was the winner of the 2019 Booker Prize; Cat’s Eye, short-listed for the 1989 Booker Prize; Alias Grace, which won the Scotiabank Giller Prize in Canada and the Premio Mondello in Italy; The Blind Assassin, winner of the 2000 Booker Prize; The MaddAddam Trilogy; The Heart Goes Last; and Hag-Seed. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Franz Kafka International Literary Prize, the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Los Angeles Times Innovator’s Award. In 2019, she was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to literature. She lives in Toronto.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hogarth; Reprint edition (May 16, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0804141312
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0804141314
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.17 x 0.78 x 7.98 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 4,623 ratings

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Margaret Atwood
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Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry and critical essays. Her novels include Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin and the MaddAddam trilogy. Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid's Tale, went back into the bestseller charts with the election of Donald Trump, when the Handmaids became a symbol of resistance against the disempowerment of women, and with the 2017 release of the award-winning Channel 4 TV series. ‘Her sequel, The Testaments, was published in 2019. It was an instant international bestseller and won the Booker Prize.’

Atwood has won numerous awards including the Booker Prize, the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade and the PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2019 she was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to literature. She has also worked as a cartoonist, illustrator, librettist, playwright and puppeteer. She lives in Toronto, Canada.

Photo credit: Liam Sharp

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4,623 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book delightful and entertaining. They find the story engaging and thought-provoking, revealing the complex underlying inspiration while illuminating the themes of the original. The book nicely reworks the Shakespeare play with believable characters and situations. Readers praise the excellent writing quality, impeccable language use, and wonderful notes. They appreciate the well-developed characters and the gradual development of the fictional characters. The pacing is described as good, with some twists and turns. Overall, customers describe the book as simple yet extremely well-crafted.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

97 customers mention "Enjoyment"93 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it entertaining, engaging, and a brilliant modern take on The Tempest. The plot is excellent, with well-constructed characters, and situations that relate nicely to the original story.

"...problems more than academic ability, I found HAGSEED marvelously entertaining because of the deft adaptation of THE TEMPEST to a plot within a plot...." Read more

"...It brings a reflection on forgiveness, revenge, hope, love and people's choices." Read more

"...to delight in its retellings of these famous plays, blending scholarship with entertainment and, particularly through Felix's understanding of the..." Read more

"...Atwood’s writing in Hag-Seed was intelligent and sometimes fun, showing a thorough mastery of Shakespeare’s The Tempest,...." Read more

62 customers mention "Thought provoking"59 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's story engaging and thought-provoking. They appreciate the clever take on The Tempest with believable characters and situations. The author explains the craziness in an artful way, making it easier to understand. Readers also mention that the book is detailed and well-written, with amazing dialogue. Overall, they describe it as an original and intelligent take on Shakespeare's classic.

"...I found HAGSEED marvelously entertaining because of the deft adaptation of THE TEMPEST to a plot within a plot...." Read more

"...For fans of both you guys are going to love this book. Very detailed, great character building, amazing dialogue, it moves fast with some twists and..." Read more

"...The weaving of the two tales is wonderfully done and there is enough explanation that you can see the similarities even if you aren't familiar with..." Read more

"...exploration of the story of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" is inventive and engaging...." Read more

41 customers mention "Realism"41 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the realism of the book. They say it nicely reworks the Shakespeare play and integrates it into a novel about meta-theatre. The book is described as imaginative, full of surprising parallels, and recommended for Shakespeare aficionados.

"...Shakespeare series continues to delight in its retellings of these famous plays, blending scholarship with entertainment and, particularly through..." Read more

"...An "allusion" inside an allusion. It is quite amazing. For Shakespeare and Ms. Margaret Atwood fans pick this book up...." Read more

"...The weaving of the two tales is wonderfully done and there is enough explanation that you can see the similarities even if you aren't familiar with..." Read more

"...It's brilliant in its structure, the characters are beautifully rendered and the trademark Atwood biting wit doesn't disappoint...." Read more

35 customers mention "Writing quality"35 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality excellent. They appreciate the author's impeccable language use, evocative dialogue, and reliance on verbal ability. The notes are wonderful, and readers enjoy the mastery of English.

"...I especially appreciate the reliance Felix places on verbal ability -- especially on expression of personal reflections and self-effacing humor...." Read more

"...Clearly, the fault is all mine. Atwood’s writing in Hag-Seed was intelligent and sometimes fun, showing a thorough mastery of Shakespeare’s The..." Read more

"...'s most amazing plays, by some of today's most acclaimed and bestselling authors of our time. So far there are 3 other books written in this way...." Read more

"...Atwood’s writing is superb; one of the other reviewers has already quoted a good example...." Read more

21 customers mention "Character development"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters well-developed. They mention that the fictional and real-life characters are paralleled. The prison characters are also developing gradually and gaining self-respect.

"...upon the growing literature of prison memoirs to make the characters believable and avoid stereotyping...." Read more

"...Very detailed, great character building, amazing dialogue, it moves fast with some twists and turns...." Read more

"...The plot is beyond clever, but the character of Felix takes it higher...." Read more

"...It has all the elements of a good book- an excellent plot, well-constructed characters, well-paced action, an exploration of the human condition and..." Read more

16 customers mention "Pacing"16 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They say the action is well-constructed with twists and turns. The plot is intricate, weaving together the play and present day. Some readers find it the best of the Hogarth series.

"...great character building, amazing dialogue, it moves fast with some twists and turns. This book shows how deeply one can feel pain and loss...." Read more

"...of a good book- an excellent plot, well-constructed characters, well-paced action, an exploration of the human condition and a moral theme that is..." Read more

"...and thanks to Margaret Atwood for her expert retelling of this great play." Read more

"...The characters are well developed. Brimming with suspense...." Read more

4 customers mention "Ease of use"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand and well-crafted. They mention no preparation is needed and that the author makes it look simple.

"...been depressing or awkward in the wrong author's hands, but Atwood makes it look easy...." Read more

"...original because the craziness is artfully explained and far easier to understand. Shakespeare had a way with words, but then so does Atwood." Read more

"Love this! Simple but extremely well crafted, not surprising given the author. Shakespeare would be proud." Read more

"No preparation necessary..." Read more

4 customers mention "Freshness"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fresh and intelligent. They say it makes an old story new again.

"I loved that the premise of this story was very fresh and new - even if it was based on a 500+ year old play!..." Read more

"...Atwood gives us a new perspective on an olystory and makes it new again. She doesn't skimp on character development, details, or emotion." Read more

"...Compelling and fresh, offering commentary in the politics of theater and the theater of politics while staying true to Shakespear's tale." Read more

"This book is fresh, intelligent, funny, appropiated for Shakespeare 's lovers or if you like to have a start with him...." Read more

A great retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest!
5 out of 5 stars
A great retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest!
This was my first Margaret Atwood book, and I fell in love with it! This was such a creative reimagining of William Shakespeare’s play, “The Tempest”!The books not exactly a retelling of “The Tempest” as it follows Felix Phillips, a deposed Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival by his assistant. He is essentially exiled, and over the years, he begins to plot his revenge. Nine years into his exile, he begins to work at the nearby correctional facility with the medium-risk prisoners, in the literacy program. Completely disregarding the program that previous educators had used for the inmates, he decides that Shakespeare is the ultimate tool for learning, and proceeds to have them put on plays of Shakespeare, while interpreting the characters. They film it in scenes to be shown to the whole jail, and thus 3 years go by. 12 years after being deposed, he learns that his nemesis is going to be touring the jail with his co-conspirator, and he begins to enact his revenge.This is ultimately, like the play, a revenge story, where Felix can finally get even with the man who exiled him at a weak point in his life to the boonies. It was unputdownable! I blew through this brilliantly told tale.This book is part of the Hogarth Shakepeare project, which are retellings of Shakespeare’s plays. I can’t wait to read the ones that have already been released, and look forward to those coming out!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2017
    Having taught Shakespeare to some very bright high school seniors and, earlier in my career, having designed and taught remedial reading to a number of students, grades 9 through 12, who had been grouped because of disciplinary problems more than academic ability, I found HAGSEED marvelously entertaining because of the deft adaptation of THE TEMPEST to a plot within a plot. The characters of the prisoners who performed the play in prison reminded me of the students I taught years ago, and my question about those characters is whether they adequately reflect the ages they are to. (They may; maturation these days has become a difficult and sometimes a confusing thing to assess.) I especially appreciate the reliance Felix places on verbal ability -- especially on expression of personal reflections and self-effacing humor. (I found the ability to verbalize their feelings differentiated students in a good way. Students who verbalized their feelings and aimed to reflect about them -- not just to sound off -- tended to stay out of major trouble. Margaret Atwood is extremely adept at dramatizing this effect, as was Shakespeare, for that matter.

    So, yes, the ending is way cool. I remember thinking, during a break before the storm happened, that I hoped Ms. Atwood wouldn't go for the easy ending. Felix's been through a melt-down previously, and Anne-Marie would give Ms. Atwood writer's cramp if she dared to destroy the marvelous and much-deserved trickery. But the story is far more than the ending; the development of Felix's plans, the social relations that permit their realization, and Felix's self-consciousness make the story. Even Felix's consciousness of his Miranda would be cloying, were the man not conscious of how goofy and how saccharine he could seem. So when he lets her go, he grows.

    Felix Philips has failed to dominate all of the scenes he wanted, but in choosing to wait and see what Anne-Marie and her cohorts have devised for the scenes they want to revise, Felix learns the sort of mentoring that engenders creativity on the part of the student and maturity in all. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Fortune holds for the overall plan -- the bad guys remain greedy and self-centered, and the guards, whether they realize Felix is pulling a fast one or just don't care, remain predictably affable and uninvolved, as long as there are cookies.

    If the tragedies are any measure, Shakespeare saw absolute monarchy as, at best, a necessary evil. His rulers tend to be absolutists, but they also tend to be controllers -- cold fish who do not know how to love and as a result are both destructive and insecure. Richard III is probably the clearest example; Prospero is interesting in that giving up his magical powers is a large part of what makes life become meaningless. He's no longer absolute, and besides, his beautiful, perfect daughter has prospects of a happy marriage to a prince who is madly in love with her. What's left for him? Felix, however, not only becomes something of an emeritus, but relaxes so that he can look forward to an opponent's son as Anne-Marie's love interest and artistic collaborator (and, of course, Felix's replacement.)
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2023
    It crosses time and demonstrates the impact of literature through theater. It brings a reflection on forgiveness, revenge, hope, love and people's choices.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2018
    In "Hag-Seed", Margaret Atwood adapts and reinvents Shakespeare’s "The Tempest" for modern Canada as part of Hogarth’s Shakespeare series in which various plays by the Bard are retold by famous authors. Like Shakespeare’s play, Atwood’s "Hag-Seed" begins with a man obsessed over his work only to find his deputy betraying him and sending him into exile. In this story, former Makeshiweg Theatre director Felix Phillips takes the place of Prospero. Forced out of his job for his bombastic productions, he retreats into the Canadian countryside, later taking a job teaching theatre as part of a prison literacy program.
    In Atwood's retelling, Anne-Marie Greenland, a dancer who was to have been in one of Felix's plays before his ousting performs the role of Miranda, here falling in love with Frederick O'Nally, the novel's Ferdinand. As for Ariel, Felix's daughter died of illness prior to the events of this novel. In his exile, he imagines her as a spirit to keep him company while he begins thinking of revenge. Any of the prisoners Felix works with plays some form of Caliban, though 8Handz, a blackhat hacker, does most of the work and even wins a reprieve as a result. As for the courtiers, Anthony Price usurped Felix as director of the Makeshiweg Theatre and plays the role of Antonio. Price was backed by Sal O'Nally, the Minister of Heritage and this novel's Sebastian. When Felix begins plotting his revenge, O'Nally has risen to the rank of Minister of Justice and Price took his place as Minister of Heritage. When O'Nally and Sebert Stanley, the Minister of Veterans Affairs and this play's Sebastian, are competing for party leadership, Price positions himself to advance further. Atwood casts Lonnie Gordon, the Chair of Gordon Strategy, as her Gonzalo. He is the only member of the Makeshiweg Theatre board who shows sorrow over Felix's departure.
    For the prison theatrical elements, Atwood draws upon the growing literature of prison memoirs to make the characters believable and avoid stereotyping. She particularly uses ideas from Laura Bates's memoir, "Shakespeare Saved My Life", to develop the concept of the prison literacy program. The Makeshiweg Theatre festival has a real world corollary in the Stratford Festival in Ontario. The concept of prisons abounds in this novel, both in Felix's way of convincing his students that "The Tempest" is worth their time and in Atwood's description of people and their behaviors. While Felix may not live in a cave like Prospero, his ramshackle dwellings and his regimented behavior recall a cloister of sorts. Price, through his treachery, is a prisoner to his own actions and must advance at any cost. And, of course, the Fletcher Correctional Players are all convicted prisoners.
    In "Hag-Seed", the Hogarth Shakespeare series continues to delight in its retellings of these famous plays, blending scholarship with entertainment and, particularly through Felix's understanding of the work, demonstrating that Shakespeare's work continues to live in the twenty-first century.
    7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • ANTONIO M.
    5.0 out of 5 stars OK
    Reviewed in Italy on August 16, 2024
  • witchword
    5.0 out of 5 stars Große Literatur
    Reviewed in Germany on April 4, 2023
    und dabei spannend und unterhaltsam, Margaret Atwood at one of her many bests
  • Lizzie
    5.0 out of 5 stars a consciousness raising experience.
    Reviewed in Spain on August 5, 2022
    I couldn’t put this novel down! Atwood writes beautifully and students will understand Shakespeare’s play because it is a rewriting in our own day and age. Far, far better than Spark notes!
  • claudia Plante
    5.0 out of 5 stars Original, profond et drôle
    Reviewed in France on November 4, 2019
    Un vrai régal! Très original et tout à fait insolite comme sujet et traitement. C'est profond, fin et plein d'humour, il y a des passages hilarants. Je l'ai lu en anglais, j'espère que le roman ne perd rien avec la traduction.
  • Alysson Oliveira
    5.0 out of 5 stars Trovoadas de cinismo e relâmpagos de humor
    Reviewed in Brazil on July 11, 2017
    Se em sua obra a canadense Margaret Atwood tem escrito sobre diversos tipos de aprisionamentos – físicos, emocionais, legais, mundanos... – em HAG-SEED ela leva seus personagens e a trama para dentro do sistema penitenciário. O romance é uma adaptação contemporânea da peça A Tempestade, de Shakespeare, e protagonizado por um diretor de teatro que trabalha com um grupo de detentos.

    O livro faz parte de um projeto chamado Hogarth Shakespeare series que reconta a obra do bardo sob a perspectiva contemporânea – escritores como Howard Jacobson e Anne Tyler também participam do projeto. Aqui, Atwood retrabalha os elementos fantásticos do texto original com ironia e cinismo num mundo contemporâneo tingido por tons de Orange is the new black e A malvada.

    O cenário é uma penitenciária masculina, e o protagonista Felix, um diretor de um festival de teatro canadense que foi demitido – por intervenção de seu rival – quando faria sua obra-prima: uma adaptação ousada e extravagante de A Tempestade. Seria o grande momento de sua carreira – repleta de altos e baixos – e ajudaria a superar a morte de sua filha, Miranda.

    Felix é o Próspero do romance, e deverá esperar mais de uma década para sua própria vingança, quando consegue emprego como tutor de teatro, num projeto social, dentro de uma prisão. É finalmente a chance de montar a *sua* versão da peça shakespeariana.

    O ambiente inóspito e os “atores” servem como o ponto de partida para um comentário sobre os liberais (não no sentido econômico, mas no sentido “americano”, social, político, cultural) do presente na figura de Felix. Repleto de boas intenções – e outras um tanto egoístas – quer levar a arte (e sua vingança também) aos presos. Na sua versão original de A Tempestade, Ariel seria feito por uma travesti e Caliban, caracterizado como um mendigo, negro ou nativo americano, paraplégico que se arrastaria pelo palco num skate gigante.

    Cinismo é uma força nas obras de Atwood e aqui se materializa em diversos momentos – especialmente na figura de Felix, um tremendo personagem – odiável em vários momentos, mas também a quem se nutre certa simpatia em outros tantos. O resultado é um romance ácido, divertido, em alguns momentos, e sempre sagaz, ou seja, Vintage Atwood.