Margaret Atwood started writing the novel much earlier than she expected , while still on a book tour for her previous novel , '' The Blind Assassin '' . In March 2001 , Atwood found herself in the Northern region of Australia , birdwatching with her partner during a break from the book tour . Here , while watching the red-necked crakes in their natural habitat , she was struck with inspiration for the story . However , Atwood explained that the work was also a product of her lingering thoughts on such a scenario throughout her life , as well as spending a great amount of time with scientists throughout her childhood . She stated Several of my close relatives are scientists , and the main topic at the annual family Christmas dinner is likely to be intestinal parasites or sex hormones in mice , or , when that makes the non-scientists too queasy , the nature of the Universe . Atwood continued to write the novel through the summer of 2001 while visiting the Arctic North , witnessing global warming 's effect on the region . However , shaken by the September 11 attacks , she stopped writing for a few weeks in the autumn , saying , " It 's deeply unsettling when you 're writing about a fictional catastrophe and then a real one happens " . However , with the looming questions of the end , Atwood finished the novel for release in 2003 . These questions in '' Oryx and Crake '' , Atwood explained , are " simply , What if we continue down the road we 're already on ? How slippery is the slope ? What are our saving graces ? Who 's got the will to stop us ? " The cover of some editions contains a portion of the left panel of Hieronymous Bosch 's painting '' The Garden of Earthly Delights '' . The cover of other editions contains a modified portion of Lucas Cranach the Elder 's painting '' The Fall ''
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Oryx and Crake