‘Unburnable’ copy of Handmaid’s Tale auctioned for US$130,000
- A video shows Margaret Atwood – the novel’s author – trying to incinerate a prototype of the special edition with a flame thrower
- Proceeds will be donated to PEN America, which advocates for free expression worldwide
A specially commissioned, unburnable edition of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has been auctioned for US$130,000, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday.
Proceeds will be donated to PEN America, which advocates for free expression worldwide.
The 384-page book consists mainly of Cinefoil, a specially treated aluminium product, and was announced last month at PEN’s annual fundraising gala.
To help promote the initiative, Atwood agreed to be filmed attempting – unsuccessfully – to incinerate a prototype with a flame thrower.
“I’m very pleased that the one-of-a-kind Unburnable Book of The Handmaid’s Tale has raised so much money for PEN America,” the Canadian author said in a statement.
“Free speech issues are being hotly debated, and PEN is a sane voice amidst all the shouting.
“The video of the book being torched by me and refusing to burn has now had a potential 5 billion views. We hope it raises awareness and leads to reasoned discussion.”
The fireproof book was a joint project by PEN, Atwood, Penguin Random House and two companies based in Toronto, where Atwood is a long-time resident: the Rethink creative agency and The Gas Company Inc., a graphic arts and bookbinding specialty studio.
The Handmaid’s Tale, a million seller first released in 1985, is a dystopian novel about a cruel patriarchy known as the Republic of Gilead.
It has been subject to various bannings since publication.
