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Michael Ondaatje

Monday, October 17, 2011
8:00pm Pacific Time
Venue: Herbst Theatre

This event appeared in the series
"On Arts" Benefiting 826 Valencia Scholarship Program

Michael Ondaatje’s artistry and aesthetic have influenced an entire generation of writers and readers.  Although he is best known for his transcendent novels, including The English Patient, Ondaatje’s work also encompasses poetry, memoir, and film, and reveals a passion for defying conventional form.  Ondaatje himself is an interesting intersection of cultures: born in Sri Lanka of Indian/Dutch ancestry, he went to school in England, and then moved to Canada. His numerous accolades include the British Commonwealth’s highest honor and the Booker Prize. He also founded as well as edits the Toronto literary journal Brick.  Ondaatje’s much-anticipated forthcoming novel, The Cat’s Table, is a touching story – full of adventure and heartache – of a boy’s passage from Ceylon to England during the golden age of transoceanic voyaging.

Pulitzer-prize winning author Michael Chabon’s works include Wonder Boys, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union.  His recent non-fiction includes Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son.  The forthcoming The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man is his first children’s book.