Biography of Michael Ondaatje (1943-)

Michael Ondaatje

Michael Ondaatje was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1943 in the midst of World War II. He moved with his mother, brother, and sister to England in 1952 before attending Bishop University in Quebec, Canada. He received his BA from the University of Toronto in 1965 and his MA from Queens University in 1967.

Ondaatje is best known for The English Patient, which won the Booker Prize upon its publication in 1992 and was adapted into a film by Anthony Minghella that won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1997. Ondaatje began by publishing poetry in 1967 with the book Daisy Monsters.

Ondaatje's poetry became an important part of defining his writing style, allowing him to experiment with fragmented consciousness, juxtaposition of unlike images, and experimental rhythm. He went on to publish the poetry collections The Collected Works of Billy the Kid in 1970 along with several others before publishing his first novel in 1976, Coming Through Slaughter.

Ondaatje considers In the Skin of a Lion (1987), which documents a Macedonian immigrant community in Toronto, his first real novel. Like Coming Through Slaughter, In the Skin of the Lion is minimal in dialogue, and blends documentary with fiction - establishing a precedent for a concern with historical accuracy found in much of Ondaatje's future work.

Ondaatje has written several Hollywood screenplays, including The Clinton Special, Sons of Captain Poetry, and Carry On Crime and Punishment. He recently collaborated with acclaimed editor Walter Mirch on a book about the editing process, and he wrote a series of critical works on songwriter Leonard Cohen. Ondaatje currently lives in Toronto with his wife, novelist/editor Linda Spalding. Ondaatje's awards include the Ralph Gustafson Award, the Epstein Award, the President's Medal from the University of Ontario, the Canadian Governor-General's Award for Literature, the Canada-Australia prize, and the Booker Prize.