6pm (VIP cocktail reception), 7:30pm (Reading)
In partnership with The Consulate General of Canada – New York, The Rema Hort Mann Foundation, Singha Beer and Moti Hasson Gallery.

One of the most exciting voices in contemporary literature, Michael Ondaatje reads from his favorite works. A stunning fusion of jazz rhythms, film montage technique, and profoundly beautiful language, encompassing memoir, poetry, and film, revealing a passion for defying conventional form.

Born in Sri Lanka, the former Ceylon, of Indian/Dutch ancestry, Ondaatje went to school in England and then moved to Canada. From the memoir of his childhood,Running in the Family, to his Governor-General’s Award-winning book of poetry, There’s a Trick With a Knife I’m Learning To Do, Ondaatje casts a spell over his readers. And having won the British Commonwealth’s highest honor – the Booker Prize – he has taken his rightful place as a contemporary literary treasure. In 2000, Ondaatje was awarded the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize, the Prix Medicis, the Governor General’s Award, and the Giller Prize for his novel Anil’s Ghost. His transcendent novel, The English Patient, was made into an Academy Award-winning film. He is the author of four collections of poetry includingThe Cinnamon Peeler and Handwriting. His works of fiction include In the Skin of the Lion, Coming Through Slaughter, and most recently Divisadero (Knopf, 2007).

For tickets, call the Workshop at 212.494.0061.

6pm: Private VIP cocktail party ($100)
7:30pm: General Public reading, audience Q&A and booksigning ($15)

VIP and general tickets may be purchased over the telephone with a credit card through the Workshop only. Please call 212-494-0061. Tickets will be held at the door under your name. A limited number of student tickets are available for purchase in-person, in advance with current ID for $7 at the Workshop (Tuesday – Friday, 12 noon – 7 pm). There will be no tickets available at the door. All proceeds from the event support the Workshop.