The Booker at the Oscars: The English Patient The Booker Prize Podcast

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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