Michael Ondaatje facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Ondaatje
CC, FRSL
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Ondaatje speaking at Tulane University, 2010
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| 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 |
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| 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 (born 12 September 1943) is a famous Sri Lankan-born Canadian writer. He writes poetry, novels, and essays.
Ondaatje started his writing career with poetry in 1967. His first book was The Dainty Monsters. In 1970, he published The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, which was highly praised. His novel The English Patient (1992) became very famous. It was even made into a movie in 1996. This novel won the special Golden Man Booker Prize in 2018.
Michael Ondaatje has also helped other Canadian writers. For about 20 years, he worked with Coach House Press. He also helped edit the magazine Brick and Long Poem Anthology (1979).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Michael Ondaatje was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 1943. His parents were Major Mervyn Ondaatje and Doris Gratiaen. His family had roots in Tamil, Burgher (Dutch), and Sinhalese cultures.
In 1954, he moved to England to live with his mother. There, he went to Dulwich College. In 1962, he moved to Montreal, Quebec, in Canada. He studied at Bishop's College School and Bishop's University for three years. He then went to the University of Toronto and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965. After that, he got a Master of Arts degree from Queen's University at Kingston.
A well-known poet named D. G. Jones noticed Michael Ondaatje's talent for poetry early on.
Ondaatje began teaching English at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. Later, in 1971, he taught English literature at Glendon College, which is part of York University.
Michael Ondaatje's Books and Awards
Michael Ondaatje has written many books. He has published 13 books of poetry. He won the Governor General's Award for his poetry collections The Collected Works of Billy the Kid (1970) and There's a Trick With a Knife I'm Learning to Do: Poems 1973–1978 (1979).
His novel Anil's Ghost (2000) won several awards. These include the 2000 Giller Prize, the Prix Médicis, the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize, and the 2001 Irish Times International Fiction Prize. It also won Canada's Governor General's Award.
The English Patient (1992) is one of his most famous novels. It won the important Booker Prize, the Canada Australia Prize, and the Governor General's Award. As mentioned, this book was made into a movie that won the Academy Award for Best Picture and many other film awards.
In the Skin of a Lion (1987) is a novel about early immigrants in Toronto. It won the 1988 City of Toronto Book Award. It was also a finalist for the Ritz Paris Hemingway Award. In 2002, it won the first Canada Reads competition.
Coming Through Slaughter (1976) is a novel set in New Orleans, Louisiana, around 1900. It is loosely based on the lives of jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden and photographer E. J. Bellocq. This book won the 1976 Books in Canada First Novel Award.
Running in the Family (1982) is a memoir about his childhood. A memoir is a story about a part of someone's life.
His novel Divisadero won the 2007 Governor General's Award. In 2011, Ondaatje worked with Daniel Brooks to turn this novel into a play.
In 2018, his novel Warlight was considered for the Booker Prize.
Books Made into Movies and Plays
Many of Michael Ondaatje's works have been adapted for the stage. The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, Coming Through Slaughter, and Divisadero have all been performed in theaters across North America and Europe.
Besides The English Patient being made into a movie, Ondaatje has also been involved in other films. He made a documentary about the poet B.P. Nichol called Sons of Captain Poetry. He also made The Clinton Special: A Film About The Farm Show, which is about a special theater project from 1971.
In 2002, Ondaatje wrote a non-fiction book called The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film. This book won special recognition at the 2003 American Cinema Editors Awards. It also won a Kraszna-Krausz Book Award for being the best book of the year about moving images (films).
Honours and Awards
Michael Ondaatje has received many important honours. In 1988, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. This is a very high honour in Canada. In 2016, he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada, which is the highest level. Two years later, he became a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
In 2005, he received the Sri Lanka Ratna. This is the highest honour given by the Government of Sri Lanka to people who are not citizens of Sri Lanka.
In 2008, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
In 2016, a new type of spider found in Sri Lanka was named after him: Brignolia ondaatjei.
Public Stand on Free Speech
In April 2015, Michael Ondaatje was one of several writers who decided not to host an event for the PEN American Center. This happened when the organization gave an award to Charlie Hebdo, a magazine that had been attacked. Ondaatje and many other writers felt that the award might seem to support offensive material. They worried it could increase negative feelings towards certain groups.
Personal Life and Contributions
Since the 1960s, Michael Ondaatje has been a poetry editor for Coach House Books in Toronto. He and his wife, Linda Spalding, who is also a novelist, work together. They co-edit Brick, A Literary Journal with other writers.
Ondaatje was also a founding member of the board for the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry from 2000 to 2018. He also started the Gratiaen Trust in Sri Lanka. This trust gives out the Gratiaen Prize every year to encourage new Sri Lankan writing.
Michael Ondaatje has two children with his first wife, Canadian artist Kim Ondaatje. His brother, Sir Christopher Ondaatje, is a well-known businessman and writer. His nephew, David Ondaatje, is a film director and screenwriter.
Books by Michael Ondaatje
Novels
- 1976: Coming Through Slaughter
- 1987: In the Skin of a Lion
- 1992: The English Patient
- 2000: Anil's Ghost
- 2007: Divisadero
- 2011: The Cat's Table
- 2018: Warlight
Poetry Collections
- 1967: The Dainty Monsters
- 1970: The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left-Handed Poems
- 1979: There's a Trick with a Knife I'm Learning to Do: Poems, 1963–1978
- 1984: Secular Love
- 1989: The Cinnamon Peeler: Selected Poems
- 1998: Handwriting
- 2006: The Story
Other Notable Works
- 1982: Running in the Family (a memoir about his childhood)
- 2002: The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film (a non-fiction book about film editing)
See also
- Ondaatje Letters
- Sri Lankan Chetties
- Christopher Ondaatje
- Kim Ondaatje
- Pearl Ondaatje
- List of Bishop's College School alumni
