The Booker Prize Podcast

The Booker at the Oscars: The English Patient

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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.


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