Home > Michael Ondaatje
Michael Ondaatje (born September 12, 1943) is a Canadian author.Born in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) of Dutch-Tamil-Singhalese origin, in 1954 he moved to England with his mother. His brother Christopher Ondaatje is a noted figure and philanthropist in the United Kingdom.
After relocating to Canada in 1962, Ondaatje became a Canadian citizen. Ondaatje received his BA from the University of Toronto and his MA from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. In the mid- 1960s he settled in Toronto, from 1971 to 1983 he taught at York University and since then at Glendon CollegeGlendon College is a federated school of York University in Toronto, Ontario. Glendon is a bilingual liberal arts faculty, with its own campus. It is unique in Canada, in that it is the only educational institution where all students receive education in in Toronto.
His style of fiction introduced in In the Skin of a LionIn the Skin of a Lion is a novel by Michael Ondaatje. The book tells the story of Patrick, a young man from Canada, and his interactions within Toronto. In some ways it is a coming of age story. Following the evolution of Patrick from a boy whose father " and mastered in The English PatientThe English Patient is a novel by Michael Ondaatje which deals with the gradually revealed histories of a critically burned man, his Canadian nurse, a thief, and a British Army sapper as they live out the end of World War II in an Italian monastery. Novel is non-linear. He creates a narrative by exploring many interconnected snapshots in great detail.
Although he is best known as a novelist, Ondaatje's work also encompasses memoir, poetry, and film. Besides his memoir of his Sri Lankan childhood, Running in the Family, and his Governor General's AwardSince its creation in 1937, the Governor General's Literary Awards has become one of Canada's most prestigious prizes, awarded in both French and English in the following seven categories: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Children's Literature-Text, C winning book of poetryPoetry is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. It consists largely of oral or literary works in which language is used in a manner that is felt by its use, There's a Trick With a Knife he is known for four works of fiction:
- The English PatientThe English Patient is a novel by Michael Ondaatje which deals with the gradually revealed histories of a critically burned man, his Canadian nurse, a thief, and a British Army sapper as they live out the end of World War II in an Italian monastery. Novel -- winner of the Booker PrizeThe Booker Prize for Fiction is awarded each year for the best novel written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. It was established by the retail wholesaler Booker plc in 1968. To maintain the consistent excellence of the prize, j, the Canada Australia Prize , and the Canada Governor General's Award and later made into a motion picture, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture.
- In the Skin of a Lion -- a fictional story about early immigrant settlers in Toronto.
- Coming Through Slaughter -- a fictional story of New Orleans, Louisiana about 1900 very loosely based on jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden. Winner of the 1977 Books in Canada First Novel Award
- Anil's Ghost -- winner of the 2000 Giller Prize, the Prix Médicis, and Canada's Governor General's Award.
In 1988 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
