"A writer uses a pen instead of a scalpel or a blow torch." - Michael Ondaatje

I promise not to obsess about writers' birthdays, but September seems to be a very writerly birthday month. Leo Tolstoy's birthday was three days ago and today is Michael Ondaatje's birthday, so I want to extend my best wishes to him.

If you haven't readh Ondaatje before, prepare to be amazed. No one writes like he does. He was a poet before he was a novelist and his language is beautiful. It was heartbreaking to leave his characters behind (so wonderful that Hana was in both The English Patient and In the Skin of a Lion.)

Here are my favorites:

The English Patient (or watch the DVD)
In the Skin of a Lion
Anil's Ghost