The Booker Prize Podcast

The Booker at the Oscars: The English Patient

Listen Later

Welcome back to the second of our Booker at the Oscars mini-series where we explore Booker Prize novels whose silver screen adaptations went on to experience Academy Award success. This time we're revisiting The English Patient, the joint Booker Prize 1992 winner by Michael Ondaatje (the other winner was Barry Unsworth's Sacred Hunger) and its silver screen counterpart, directed by Anthony Minghella.


In this episode Jo and James:

  • Share a brief biography of Michael Ondaatje
  • Summarise the plot of the book, and discuss their thoughts on it
  • Explore the four main characters we meet in the novel
  • Delve into Anthony Minghella's film adaptation and the differences between book and film


    • Reading list:

    • The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-english-patient
    • Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/sacred-hunger
    • Black Dogs by Ian McEwan: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/black-dogs
    • Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-butcher-boy
    • Warlight by Michael Ondaatje: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/warlight
    • Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje
    • The Histories by Herodotus
    • In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje


      • A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.


      Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes.

      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      The Booker Prize PodcastBy The Booker Prize
      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4

      4.4

      61 ratings

      More shows like The Booker Prize Podcast

      View all
      The New Yorker: Fiction by The New Yorker

      The New Yorker: Fiction

      3,330 Listeners

      The Book Review by The New York Times

      The Book Review

      3,917 Listeners

      Ask Penguin by Penguin Books UK

      Ask Penguin

      143 Listeners

      In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

      In Our Time

      5,576 Listeners

      World Book Club by BBC World Service

      World Book Club

      370 Listeners

      Backlisted by Backlisted

      Backlisted

      585 Listeners

      The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker by The New Yorker

      The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker

      2,130 Listeners

      Bookclub by BBC Radio 4

      Bookclub

      241 Listeners

      The Paris Review by The Paris Review

      The Paris Review

      805 Listeners

      The Waterstones Podcast by Waterstones

      The Waterstones Podcast

      43 Listeners

      On the Road with Penguin Classics by Penguin Random House UK

      On the Road with Penguin Classics

      28 Listeners

      NPR's Book of the Day by NPR

      NPR's Book of the Day

      678 Listeners

      The Radio 2 Book Club by BBC Radio 2

      The Radio 2 Book Club

      9 Listeners

      Take Four Books by BBC Radio 4

      Take Four Books

      6 Listeners

      A Good Read by BBC Radio 4

      A Good Read

      44 Listeners