Michael Ondaatje

@Poets, Birthday and Personal Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Michael Ondaatje is a Canadian novelist and poet whose best known work is the Booker Prize-winning novel, ‘The English Patient’ Canadian University Of Toronto Writers Poets Novelists Virgo Celebrities Michael Ondaatje is a Canadian novelist and poet whose best known work is the Booker Prize-winning novel, ‘The English Patient’. Born in Sri Lanka, he moved to England as a teenager before finally settling in Canada. Determined to make a mark as a poet from an early age, he started his writing career alongside his teaching profession, establishing himself as a poet before turning to fictional as well as autobiographical works. His works in poetry and fiction are infused with sensual images, rich language and a deeply metaphorical bent. He has published 13 books of poetry and six novels in his literary career and has been able to achieve a distinct name for himself in the world of literature. One of Canada’s most highly regarded writers, he is known for his writing that blurs the line between prose and poetry, past and present, image and intellect, and thought and feeling. He expresses the internal struggles of his characters using a poetic writing style that depends upon association, startling imagery and intense language. His 1992 novel ‘The English Patient’ is regarded as the most successful and well-crafted work of his career which was also adapted into an Academy Award winning motion picture. Deemed as a literary genius, he is one of Canada's most important contemporary writers and a prominent figure in the world of literature

Personal Details

Birthday: September 12, 1943 Nationality: Canadian Famous: Poets, University Of Toronto, Writers, Poets, Novelists Spouses: Linda Spalding Siblings: Christopher Ondaatje, Gillian Ondaatje Known as: Philip Michael Ondaatje, Ondaatje, Michael, Kip Universities: University Of Toronto 1967 - Queen's University 1965 - University of Toronto Bishop's University Dulwich College Bishop's College School Information Detail Birthday September 12, 1943 Nationality Canadian Famous Poets, University Of Toronto, Writers, Poets, Novelists Spouses Linda Spalding Siblings Christopher Ondaatje, Gillian Ondaatje Known as Philip Michael Ondaatje, Ondaatje, Michael, Kip Universities University Of Toronto 1967 - Queen's University 1965 - University of Toronto Bishop's University Dulwich College Bishop's College School Notable Alumnis University Of Toronto Birth Place Colombo Gender Male Father Mervyn Ondaatje Mother Doris Gratiaen Sun Sign Virgo Born in Colombo Famous as Canadian poet

Colombo

Michael Ondaatje born at Unsplash Birth Place

Michael Ondaatje is married to Linda Spalding, a novelist and academic, and the couple has two children. Unsplash Personal Life

Michael Ondaatje was born on September 12, 1943, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Mervyn Ondaatje, and his wife, Doris Gratiaen. He has an elder brother, Christopher Ondaatje, who went on to become a successful entrepreneur. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

After receiving his initial education at St. Thomas' College in Colombo, he and his mother moved to England in 1954, where he resumed his education at Dulwich College in London. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

From 1962 to 1964, he studied at the Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada. In 1965, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto, and went on to complete his M.A. from Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario, in 1967. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Michael Ondaatje started his career as a teacher at the University of Western Ontario, London, in 1967. In 1971, he became a member of the Department of English at Glendon College, York University, Toronto. Unsplash Career

In 1967, he published his first collection of poetry titled ‘The Dainty Monsters’, a series of lyrics that associate everyday life with mythology. Unsplash Career

In 1976, he emerged as a novelist with his book ‘Coming Through Slaughter’. It is a novel about the New Orleans jazz musician Buddy Bolden’s descent into insanity. Unsplash Career

His other famous works include: ‘Running in the Family’ (1982)—his memoirs about life in Ceylon — and ‘In the Skin of a Lion’ (1987)—a novel about the clash between the rich and poor in early 20th-century Toronto. Unsplash Career

His 1984 poetry collection titled ‘Secular Love’ contains poetry about the breakup of his marriage. His other lyrical works include ‘The Cinnamon Peeler’ (1989) and ‘Handwriting: Poems’ (1998). Unsplash Career

One of his most celebrated works is the 1970 collection titled ‘The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left-Handed Poems’. It is an assortment of poems, prose, photographs, and even comic books, which reflects on the nature of heroism and violence. Unsplash Major Works

Michael Ondaatje Ondaatje's best known work is his 1992 novel ‘The English Patient’, which won him the Booker Prize and was later adapted into an Academy Award winning film. The book is set in Italy at the end of the Second World War, and narrates an epic tale of the physical and emotional damage inflicted by war. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	September 12, 1943
Nationality	Canadian
Famous	Poets, University Of Toronto, Writers, Poets, Novelists
Spouses	Linda Spalding
Siblings	Christopher Ondaatje, Gillian Ondaatje
Known as	Philip Michael Ondaatje, Ondaatje, Michael, Kip
Universities	University Of Toronto 1967 - Queen's University 1965 - University of Toronto Bishop's University Dulwich College Bishop's College School
Notable Alumnis	University Of Toronto
Birth Place	Colombo
Gender	Male
Father	Mervyn Ondaatje
Mother	Doris Gratiaen
Sun Sign	Virgo
Born in	Colombo
Famous as	Canadian poet

Michael Ondaatje

Canadian

Sep 12, 1943

Biography

Personal Details

Colombo