<P> The Handmaid 's Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood , originally published in 1985 . It is set in a near - future New England , in a totalitarian state resembling a theonomy , which has overthrown the United States government . The novel focuses on the journey of the handmaid Offred . Her name derives from the possessive form `` of Fred '' ; handmaids are forbidden to use their birth names and must echo the male , or master , whom they serve . </P>
who wrote the book the handmaid 's tale
Margaret Atwood