Merwin’s Green Room to Host ‘English Patient’ Author

The Merwin Conservancy will present Michael Ondaatje in the Green Room at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s McCoy Studio on Saturday, June 25, 2016, beginning at 7 p.m.

Ondaatje is the author of The English Patient and a renowned poet and novelist from Canada.

Ondaatje is known for his lyrical, beautiful works, which dissolve the lines between prose and poetry, past and present, image and intellect, thought and feeling.

Whether retelling an American myth in The Collected Works of Billy the Kid (1973), reshaping recollections of friends and family from his childhood in old Ceylon in Running in the Family (1982), or delving into the brutality of Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil war in Anil’s Ghost (2000), Ondaatje displays a keen understanding of the internal struggles of his characters, using a poetic writing style that depends upon juxtaposition, startling imagery and intense, often difficult, language.

Ondaatje will inspire the Green Room audience with readings and discussion.

A reception with music, dessert, champagne and a book signing session will follow the discussion.

All ticket sales benefit the nonprofit Merwin Conservancy.

Tickets: $25 for general admission; $10 for students with ID (plus applicable fees).