Michael Ondaatje (Canadian, Sri-Lankan Poet) Age, Biography, Family.

Quick Info

Profession	Poet, Fiction Writer, Essayist, Novelist, Editor, Filmmaker
Nationality	Canadian, Sri-Lankan
Date of Birth	12/09/1943
Age	82 years
Birthplace	Colombo, Ceylon (now, Sri Lanka)

Latest News about Michael Ondaatje

24/02/2026

Michael Ondaatje released a new poetry collection titled "The Distance of a Shout" published by Knopf. Publishers Weekly gave the collection a star review, calling it "a superb and comprehensive collection of selected works."

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Bio/Wiki

Full Name	Philip Michael Ondaatje
Famous For	His Novel- The English Patient
Zodiac Sign/Sun Sign	Virgo
Religion	Not Known

Physical Stats & More

Height	172 cm (5' 8")
Weight	70 kg (154 lbs)
Eye Color	Hazel Blue
Hair Color	Grey

Educational Qualification(s)

B. A.	English from the University of Toronto in 1965
M.A.	Queen's University in 1967

Personal Life

School	Dulwich College St. Thomas’s College
College/Universities	University of Toronto Queen's University Bishop's University
Hobbies	Reading Writing

Relationships & 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
) (with First Wife)

Parents

Father	Mervyn Ondaatje
Mother	Doris Gratiaen

Siblings

Christopher Ondaatje (Philanthropist, Businessman, Author)
Gillian Ondaatje

Career

Awards, Honours	Ralph Gustafson Award Epstein Award E. J. Pratt Medal President's Medal Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction (Canada) Booker Prize for Fiction Giller Prize (Canada) Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize Prix Médicis (France) Man Booker International Prize (nominee) Scotiabank Giller Prize Commonwealth Writers Prize (Caribbean and Canada Region, Best Book) Golden Man Booker Prize Governor General's Award for Poetry Irish Times International Fiction Prize
Notable Works	The Dainty Monsters (1967) The Collected Works of Billy the Kid (1970) Coming Through Slaughter (1976) Running in the Family (1982) In the Skin of a Lion (1987) Secular Love (1984) The Cinnamon Peeler (1989) The English Patient (1992) Handwriting: Poems (1998) Anil's Ghost (2000) Divisadero (2007) The Cat's Table (2011) Warlight A Year of Last Things (2024) The Distance of a Shout (2026)
Teaching	Creative writing and contemporary literature at Glendon College, York University (since 1971)
Editorial Work	Poetry editor for Coach House Books since the 1960s; co-editor of Brick, A Literary Journal

Favourites

Favourite Books	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

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. His parents separated when he was an infant.
2. He was raised by relatives until he was 11, then moved to England to live with his mother.
3. He relocated to Montreal, Quebec in 1962 for his education.
4. His first poetry collection, "The Dainty Monsters," was published in 1967.
5. He gained recognition with his novel "Coming Through Slaughter" in 1976.
6. In 1982, he released a memoir called "Running in the Family" sharing his childhood struggles.
7. In addition to writing, he is a filmmaker who produced three documentaries in the 1970s.
8. He received the Man Booker Prize in 2018 for his influential contributions to fiction over the past five decades.
9. He established the Gratiaen Trust in Sri Lanka that annually awards the Gratiaen Prize.
10. He served as a founding member of the board of trustees of the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry from 2000 to 2018.
11. He became a Canadian citizen in 1962.

Michael Ondaatje Poet, Fiction Writer, Essayist, Novelist, Editor, Filmmaker Canadian, Sri-Lankan Colombo, Ceylon (now, Sri Lanka)