Michael Ondaatje | |
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![]() Ondaatje speaking at Tulane University, 2010 | |
Born | Philip Michael Ondaatje 12 September 1943 Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) |
Occupation | Author |
Language | English |
Alma mater | University of Toronto Queen's University Bishop's University |
Notable works | |
Notable awards | Governor General's Award – Poetry Booker Prize Giller Prize Prix Médicis étranger Order of Canada St. Louis Literary Award |
Spouse | Linda Spalding |
Relatives | Christopher Ondaatje (brother) |
Philip Michael Ondaatje CC FRSL (/ɒnˈdɑːtʃiː/; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer and essayist.[1]
Ondaatje's literary career began with his poetry in 1967, publishing The Dainty Monsters, and then in 1970 the critically acclaimed The Collected Works of Billy the Kid.[2] His novel The English Patient (1992), adapted into a film in 1996[2] won the 2018 Golden Man Booker Prize.[3]
Ondaatje has been "fostering new Canadian writing"[4] with two decades commitment to Coach House Press (ca. 1970–1990), and his editorial credits include the journal Brick, and the Long Poem Anthology (1979), among others.[4]