“...sometimes we enter art to hide within it. It is where we can go to save ourselves, where a third-person voice protects us.”

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.