Michael Ondaatje Age, Affairs, Wife, Books, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Philip Michael Ondaatje
Profession(s)	Poet, Fiction Writer, Essayist, Novelist, Editor, Filmmaker
Famous For	His Novel- The English Patient
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 172 cm in meters- 1.72 m in feet inches- 5’ 8”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 70 kg in pounds- 154 lbs
Eye Colour	Hazel Blue
Hair Colour	Grey
Personal Life
Date of Birth	12 September 1943
Age (as in 2017)	74 Years
Birthplace	Colombo, Ceylon (now, Sri Lanka)
Zodiac sign/Sun sign	Virgo
Signature/Autograph
Nationality	Canadian, Sri-Lankan
Hometown	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
School	Dulwich College St. Thomas’s College
College/Universities	University of Toronto Queen's University Bishop's University
Educational Qualification(s)	B. A. in English from the University of Toronto in 1965 M.A. from Queen’s University in 1967
Religion	Not Known
Hobbies	Reading, Writing
Awards, Honours	1965: Ralph Gustafson Award 1966: Epstein Award, E. J. Pratt Medal 1967: President's Medal 1971: Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction (Canada) 1980: Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction (Canada) 1992: Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction (Canada), Booker Prize for Fiction 2000: Giller Prize (Canada), Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction (Canada), Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize, Prix Médicis (France) 2007: Man Booker International Prize (nominee), Scotiabank Giller Prize 2008: Commonwealth Writers Prize (Caribbean and Canada Region, Best Book) 2018: Honoured with Golden Man Booker Prize
Girls, Affairs and More
Marital Status	Married
Affairs/Girlfriends	Kim Jones Linda Spalding
Marriage Date	Year- 1964 (with First Wife)
Family
Wife/Spouse	First Wife: Kim Ondaatje Second Wife: Linda Spalding (A Novelist and Academician)
Children	2 (Names Not Known) (with First Wife)
Parents	Father- Mervyn Ondaatje Mother- Doris Gratiaen
Siblings	Brother- Christopher Ondaatje (Philanthropist, Businessman, Author) Sister- Gillian Ondaatje
Favourite Things
Favourite Book(s)	Italo Calvino- The Baron in the Trees; William Maxwell- So Long, See You Tomorrow; Walter Tevis- The Queen’s Gambit; J.L. Carr- A Month in the Country; Rafael Sabatini- Scaramouche
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)	Not Known

 

Some Lesser Known Facts About Michael Ondaatje

• Does Michael Ondaatje smoke?: Not Known

• Does Michael Ondaatje drink alcohol?: Not Known

• His parents got separated when he was just an infant. 

• Until the age of 11, his upbringing was done by his relatives, after which he went to his mother in England.

• In 1962, he relocated to Montreal, Quebec where he pursued his schooling. 

• While pursuing his undergraduate course at Bishop’s University, he was interested in writing poetry, and he was once praised for his poetic ability by his future mentor, the poet D.G Jones. 

• After his studies, at the age of 24, he began teaching English at the University of Western Ontario, London.

• Soon, he left this position because he was pressurised there to do PhD and shifted to Glendon College, York University as an English literature teacher.

• His first collection of outstanding poetry titled “The Dainty Monsters” was published in 1967. 

• He rose to prominence after his novel- “Coming Through Slaughter” was printed in 1976, which opened the doors of success for him. 

• In his 1982 memoir titled “Running in the Family,” he expressed his unusual struggles of childhood. His book was critically acclaimed by the readers. 

• In 1962, he met his first love, Kim Jones and tied the knot with her two years later. Unfortunately, the couple broke up later and  Ondaatje released a collection named Secular Love in 1984, which described the breakup of his marriage.

• His notable work “The English Patient” is one of his notable works and he told that he spent six years in writing this book, out of which the last two years were spent creating the entire structure. 

• Apart from writing poetry and novels, he is also a filmmaker and has created 3 documentary films in the 1970s- The Clinton Special: Sons of Captain Poetry (1970), A Film about the Farm Show (1974), and Carry On Crime and Punishment (1970).

• In 2018, he was honoured with the Man Booker Prize for his trailblazing work in the fiction from the last five decades.