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.

This article in full comprises 2540 words but only the first 150 or so words are available to non-members.

All our articles have been written recently by experts in their field, more than 95% of them university professors. To read about membership, please click here.

First published 27 March 2002

Citation: Easingwood, Peter. "Michael Ondaatje". The Literary Encyclopedia. 27 March 2002.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4944, accessed 20 November 2009.]