“Her life with others no longer interests him. He wants only her stalking beauty, her theatre of expressions. He wants the minute secret reflection between them, the depth of field minimal, their foreignness intimate like two pages of a closed book.”

Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer and essayist

Michael Ondaatje is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer, and essayist. He is known for writing across poetry, fiction, and essays, and for the distinctive place he holds in Canadian literature. His work ranges across several literary forms, with poetry at its center and fiction and essays extending his reputation. He is identified with both Sri Lankan and Canadian literary traditions, and his writing has drawn wide attention for its range and style.