The Seventh Future: Israel/Palestine, by: Margaret Atwood

Again I find myself having read a piece of fiction, unsure if it’s really a short story or not. Margaret Atwood posted The Seventh Future: Israel/Palestine on her blog, Margaret Atwood: Year of the Flood, about a month ago. I found myself drawn to it immediately. The Seventh Future is about someone who can see the future; he envision seven different future for the much disputed region. The seventh future that he sees is the one that is the most desirable. It would be hard work, but it is possible. The other six futures are different degrees of bad to worse. On a personal note, it makes me even more eager to read Year of the Flood.

Something I found intriguing is the debate on Ms. Atwood’s blog generated by this short piece of fiction. There are some very angry people out there. Someone blatantly call Margaret Atwood stupid. I was a little taken aback because I’m a fan of her work and I don’t think any writer who can create such amazing tales is stupid. Perhaps, what the person meant to say is overly optimistic or uninformed (which I don’t actually think). Yes, Margaret Atwood is a writer, not a politician or diplomat. So perhaps her opinion doesn’t have the same weight as people like Barak Obama or Tony Blair. However, her opinion is as valid as any one else’s. There are a couple people out there who really don’t like her or what she wrote. I thought The Seventh Future was insightful. I see each future that is laid out in the story as possible; the seventh is just the one we all hope for.

Thanks to John Mutford at The Book Mine Set for hosting.