Life Before Man (40 page)

Elizabeth dabs at her nose. If she wants to see grapes she can go to the supermarket. She has to go there anyway, since there’s nothing in the house for dinner.

China does not exist. Nevertheless she longs to be there.

I would like to thank the following people who supplied comment, information, support or other kinds of help: Carl Atwood, Lenore Mendelson Atwood, Ruth Atwood, Peter Boehm, Liz Calder, J. A. Donnan, Kate Godfrey Gibson, Jennifer Glossop, Beverley Hunter, Matla Kavin, Marie Kwas, Jay Macpherson, Marie Thompson, Fred J. Roberts, Rick Salutin, J. B. Salsberg, Savella Stchishin, Zenia Stchishin, Nan Talese, Mrs. Walpert, Jean Wachna, Mrs. Werblinsky.

I would also like to thank Donya Peroff, my tireless researcher for many years; Phoebe Larmore, my agent; and the many staff members of the Royal Ontario Museum and the Planetarium who gave me their time, especially Joanne Lindsay of Vertebrate Paleontology, who guided me through the Upper Cretaceous with a steady hand.

Note:
Lesje
is pronounced “Lashia.”

Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa in 1939, and grew up in northern Quebec and Ontario, and later in Toronto. She has lived in a number of cities in Canada, the U.S., and Europe.

Atwood is the author of more than forty books – novels, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and books for children. Her work is acclaimed internationally and has been published around the world. Her novels include
The Handmaid’s Tale, Cat’s Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, Oryx and Crake
, and, most recently,
The Year of the Flood
. She has received many prestigious awards, including the Giller Prize (Canada), the Booker Prize (U.K.), the Premio Mondello (Italy), the National Arts Club Medal of Honor for Literature (U.S.), Le Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France), and the Prince of Asturias Award (Spain).

Margaret Atwood lives in Toronto with writer Graeme Gibson. She is a Vice President of International PEN. She and Gibson are the Joint Honorary Presidents of the Rare Bird Club within Birdlife International, and spend much time on conservation projects. For more information, please visit
www.margaretatwood.ca
.