Sir Christopher Ondaatje
Most of us have heard of booker prize winner Michael Ondaatje and take some pride from the fact that he was born in Sri Lanka. But what is less well known is that he has a brother, Christopher, who is equally if not more prominent than Michael.
A keen athlete in his time, he was a member of the Canadian Olympic bobsled team in 1964. Still an ardent sports enthusiast, he is a member of the Chester Yacht Club in Canada and a life member of Somerset County Cricket Club in England.
An aggressive businessman and stockbroker, he eventually became a multi-millionaire in the publishing industry and was the the founder of Pagurian Corporation. However, he sold his business interests in 1992 and moved to Britain where he is actively pursuing a career of philanthropy and traveling. He has also written a number of books including the’ Woolf in Ceylon’ and ‘Hemingway in Africa’.
Sir Christopher Ondaatje’s philanthropic work earned him a knighthood by Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II in 2003.
A keen athlete in his time, he was a member of the Canadian Olympic bobsled team in 1964. Still an ardent sports enthusiast, he is a member of the Chester Yacht Club in Canada and a life member of Somerset County Cricket Club in England.
An aggressive businessman and stockbroker, he eventually became a multi-millionaire in the publishing industry and was the the founder of Pagurian Corporation. However, he sold his business interests in 1992 and moved to Britain where he is actively pursuing a career of philanthropy and traveling. He has also written a number of books including the’ Woolf in Ceylon’ and ‘Hemingway in Africa’.
Sir Christopher Ondaatje’s philanthropic work earned him a knighthood by Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II in 2003.
posted by Hitch at 11/01/2006 03:45:00 AM
5 Comments:
Me just dropping by to add The Man-Eater of Punanai to that booklist! ;o)
Wonder if the bloke comes to Sri Lanka often
Donated ££££££ and the Tate Modern has a wing named after him the Ondaatje wing. He does travel to Sri lanka and I remember reading that his sister/s still live in Lanka. He was there at Srilit in June in London and spoke passionately about litreature in Sri Lanka.
Why don't these people have dual citizenships? Have they completely abandoned they land of birth?
Very poetic! But sounds to me like an excuse that you come up with when you want to justify betraying the land of your birth: for we, collectively, are responsible for the action of the country and an individual, alone, is responsible for his decision to leave.
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