• Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Order of Canada

• Officer of the Order of Canada

  • Awarded on: July 11, 1988
  • Invested on: November 08, 1988

  One of Canada's most successful experimental writers, his work blends the factual and the imaginary in poetry and prose and is extraordinarily visual, which accounts for his interest in film as a complement to literature. But he is first and foremost a poet whose talent is recognized throughout the English-speaking world.

• Companion of the Order of Canada

  • Awarded on: November 18, 2016
  • Invested on: August 25, 2017

  Michael Ondaatje continues to be one of CanadaÆs most treasured and celebrated
  contemporary authors. A poet, novelist and editor, he has published well-regarded
  collections of poetry and several critically acclaimed novels, including AnilÆs Ghost
  and The English Patient, which was later made into an award-winning film.
  His international stature has brought attention to Canadian literature and helped raise
  its profile worldwide. He serves as an exemplary role model, and his ongoing support
  and editorial work within the literary community have had a profound influence on
  aspiring Canadian authors.
  This is a promotion within the Order.