Michael Ondaatje

Peter Easingwood (University of Dundee)
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Michael Ondaatje's novels lend themselves to post-modern and post-colonial approaches to literature but his distinctive appeal as a poet and novelist is that of an experimental practitioner and stylist expert in creating sensuous and sensual effects. His poetry begins in the 1960s in the context described by Northrop Frye as a colossal verbal explosion of writing in Canada. The large international success of the novel

The English Patient

confirms the emergence of a highly developed cultural hybridity in his work.

According to a biographer (Jewinski 1994), Ondaatje has been generous in his support of other writers but he appears reluctant to be treated as a literary celebrity and to answer questions about his private life. Philip Michael Ondaatje was born on 12 September 1943 in Ceylon

2540 words

Citation: Easingwood, Peter. "Michael Ondaatje". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 March 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4944, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4944 Michael Ondaatje 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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