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Michael Ondaatje was at the absolute top of my list of English-language writers that I've wanted to meet, says Paul Martin, who hosted the acclaimed author of The English Patient on campus all last week. The chance to watch him in action as well as just hanging out with him was like winning the lottery, adds the assistant English professor, admitting he is exhausted but energized by the experience.

Ondaatje, a Canadian citizen, gave a public reading on Oct. 26 with campus and community fans nearly filling Ira Allen Chapel for the occasion. Much like his novels and poetry, Ondaatjes reading flitted from theme to theme, character to character, setting to setting, as he read passages from several volumes and genres of his work including a new collection of poetry titled Handwriting.

What made Ondaatjes visit extraordinary was that, as this years Buckham Scholar, he stayed on for several days, attending dinners, sitting in on a faculty reading group, and visiting nine English classes to speak with nearly 300 students in all about his work, his process and his inspirations.

The students in my senior seminar were through the roof that he was coming, says Martin, who has the lively and enthusiastic class reading most of Ondaatjes opus this semester, from poetry and memoir to the Booker Prize-winning novel of loss and the desert, The English Patient.

Reading the work of a single author is a great experience, says Alan Rubin, a research associate professor of medicine who is auditing the seminar. Learning about Ondaatjes writing process firsthand, says Rubin, made the books even more alive for me. Rubin was struck, also, that Ondaatje refers to his books like children he has raised.

Rubin and Martin attest that Ondaatje was extremely generous with his time. He gave thoughtful responses to students questions, as though he were being asked for the first time, Martin says.

And what was the experience like for Ondaatje? He really enjoyed himself, according to Martin. He said its not often he gets into a room with people who know so much of his work so well and he thought our students were fantastic.

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