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Praise be: unburnable copy of The Handmaid’s Tale fetches $130,000

[Author Margaret Atwood using a flamethrower near an unburnable copy of The Handmaid's Tale. Photograph: Sotheby's/AF]

the Guardian |

The special edition of Margaret Atwood’s novel was auctioned by Sotheby’s and is made of Cinefoil, a treated aluminum product

A specially commissioned, unburnable edition of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has been auctioned for $130,000, Sotheby’s announced on 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 aluminum 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 5bn views. We hope it raises awareness and leads to reasoned discussion.” . .

READ MORE >> https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/07/unburnable-the-handmaids-tale-margaret-atwood