Fragmented Memory
Memory is not a linear story. It's fragments that connect and disconnect like in a dream
Michael Ondaatje
Canadian novelist, author of The English Patient and The Cat's Table
All moments: Michael Ondaatje
- Cats and Writers — Michael Ondaatje
A cat is a creature that never fully reveals itself. As a writer, I'm fascinated by what cannot be completely explained
- Letters as Language — Michael Ondaatje
Letters are the language of secret things, they allow people to be honest in a way they cannot face to face
- Layers of Self in Literature — Michael Ondaatje
I believe a character has many layers, and a writer must inhabit all of these layers at once
- History as Fiction — Michael Ondaatje
History is fiction we've agreed to accept as truth. Literature is more honest because it admits its fiction
- The Novel as Dialogue — Michael Ondaatje
A novel is not a monologue. It's a dialogue between writer and reader, where the reader must fill in the gaps
- War and Intimacy — Michael Ondaatje
War exposes a person, makes them vulnerable. It's in this vulnerability that I search for truth
Related moments
- The Times They Are A-Changing — Bob Dylan
Change is the only constant. We all must change or die.
- Life Is What Happens — John Lennon
Life is what happens to you while you're making other plans.
- The Price of Fame — Freddie Mercury
Fame is loneliness in a crowd. I'm surrounded by people but completely alone.
- Growing Up Fast — Aretha Franklin
I had to grow up fast. That shaped who I am.
- The Long Road Home — Elton John
I spent so much time searching for who I was that I almost missed my life.
- A Legendary Song — Dolly Parton
That song is about letting go. Sometimes love means releasing the one you love most.