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A Year of Last Things
From one of the most influential writers of this generation, a gorgeous and most of all surprising poetry collection about memory, love, and the act of looking back
Following several of his internationally acclaimed, beloved novels, A Year of Last Things is Michael Ondaatje’s long-awaited return to poetry . In pieces that are sometimes wittily funny, moving, and always wise, we journey back through time by way of alchemical leaps, unearthing writings by revered masters, moments of shared tenderness, and abandoned landscapes we hold onto to rediscover the influence of every border crossed.
Moving from a Sri Lankan boarding school to Moliere's chair during his last stage performance, to Bulgarian churches and their icons, to a California coast, and his beloved Canadian rivers, Michael Ondaatje casts a brilliant eye that merges his past and present, in the way memory and the distant shores of art and lost friends continue to influence all that surrounds him.
As in this startling passage from his poem "His chair, a narrow bed, a motel room, the fox":
At the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles Sam Cooke was shot dead.
‘See my shadow on the wall...’ All those motels and hotels
in literature and song, where X wrote this,
where Y got drunk, where Z overdosed.
The one Hank Williams was driven past, dead already in his car.
The Slaviansky Bazaar Hotel in Lady with a Dog
where Dmitri imagines their dark but hopeful future.
The Hotel du Grand Miroir in Brussels where Baudelaire
lived his last few months. (A decade later
Verlaine shot Rimbaud there.)
The Casa Verdi in Milan where retired opera singers were welcome
along with the various heteronyms of Fernando Pessoa in their afterlife.
Following several of his internationally acclaimed, beloved novels, A Year of Last Things is Michael Ondaatje’s long-awaited return to poetry . In pieces that are sometimes wittily funny, moving, and always wise, we journey back through time by way of alchemical leaps, unearthing writings by revered masters, moments of shared tenderness, and abandoned landscapes we hold onto to rediscover the influence of every border crossed.
Moving from a Sri Lankan boarding school to Moliere's chair during his last stage performance, to Bulgarian churches and their icons, to a California coast, and his beloved Canadian rivers, Michael Ondaatje casts a brilliant eye that merges his past and present, in the way memory and the distant shores of art and lost friends continue to influence all that surrounds him.
As in this startling passage from his poem "His chair, a narrow bed, a motel room, the fox":
At the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles Sam Cooke was shot dead.
‘See my shadow on the wall...’ All those motels and hotels
in literature and song, where X wrote this,
where Y got drunk, where Z overdosed.
The one Hank Williams was driven past, dead already in his car.
The Slaviansky Bazaar Hotel in Lady with a Dog
where Dmitri imagines their dark but hopeful future.
The Hotel du Grand Miroir in Brussels where Baudelaire
lived his last few months. (A decade later
Verlaine shot Rimbaud there.)
The Casa Verdi in Milan where retired opera singers were welcome
along with the various heteronyms of Fernando Pessoa in their afterlife.
118 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2024
84 people are currently reading
1244 people want to read
About the author
Michael Ondaatje
123 books4,217 followersPhilip Michael Ondaatje is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer, and essayist, renowned for his contributions to both poetry and prose. He was born in Colombo in 1943, to a family of Tamil and Burgher descent. Ondaatje emigrated to Canada in 1962, where he pursued his education, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts from Queen's University.
Ondaatje’s literary career began in 1967 with his poetry collection The Dainty Monsters, followed by his celebrated The Collected Works of Billy the Kid in 1970. His poetry earned him numerous accolades, including the Governor General’s Award for his collection There's a Trick with a Knife I'm Learning to Do: Poems 1973–1978 in 1979. He published 13 books of poetry, exploring diverse themes and poetic forms.
In 1992, Ondaatje gained international fame with the publication of his novel The English Patient, which won the Booker Prize and was later adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. His other notable works include In the Skin of a Lion (1987), Anil’s Ghost (2000), and Divisadero (2007), which won the Governor General’s Award. Ondaatje’s novel Warlight (2018) was longlisted for the Booker Prize.
Aside from his writing, Ondaatje has been influential in fostering Canadian literature. He served as an editor at Coach House Books, contributing to the promotion of new Canadian voices. He also co-edited Brick, A Literary Journal, and worked as a founding trustee of the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry.
Ondaatje’s work spans various forms, including plays, documentaries, and essays. His 2002 book The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film earned him critical acclaim and won several awards. His plays have been adapted from his novels, including The Collected Works of Billy the Kid and Coming Through Slaughter.
Over his career, Ondaatje has been honored with several prestigious awards. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1988, upgraded to Companion in 2016, and received the Sri Lanka Ratna in 2005. In 2016, a new species of spider, Brignolia ondaatjei, was named in his honor.
Ondaatje’s personal life is also intertwined with his literary pursuits. He has been married to novelist Linda Spalding, and the couple co-edits Brick. He has two children from his first marriage and is the brother of philanthropist Sir Christopher Ondaatje. He was also involved in a public stand against the PEN American Center's decision to honor Charlie Hebdo in 2015, citing concerns about the publication's anti-Islamic content.
Ondaatje’s enduring influence on literature and his ability to blend personal history with universal themes in his writing continue to shape Canadian and world literature.
Ondaatje’s literary career began in 1967 with his poetry collection The Dainty Monsters, followed by his celebrated The Collected Works of Billy the Kid in 1970. His poetry earned him numerous accolades, including the Governor General’s Award for his collection There's a Trick with a Knife I'm Learning to Do: Poems 1973–1978 in 1979. He published 13 books of poetry, exploring diverse themes and poetic forms.
In 1992, Ondaatje gained international fame with the publication of his novel The English Patient, which won the Booker Prize and was later adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. His other notable works include In the Skin of a Lion (1987), Anil’s Ghost (2000), and Divisadero (2007), which won the Governor General’s Award. Ondaatje’s novel Warlight (2018) was longlisted for the Booker Prize.
Aside from his writing, Ondaatje has been influential in fostering Canadian literature. He served as an editor at Coach House Books, contributing to the promotion of new Canadian voices. He also co-edited Brick, A Literary Journal, and worked as a founding trustee of the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry.
Ondaatje’s work spans various forms, including plays, documentaries, and essays. His 2002 book The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film earned him critical acclaim and won several awards. His plays have been adapted from his novels, including The Collected Works of Billy the Kid and Coming Through Slaughter.
Over his career, Ondaatje has been honored with several prestigious awards. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1988, upgraded to Companion in 2016, and received the Sri Lanka Ratna in 2005. In 2016, a new species of spider, Brignolia ondaatjei, was named in his honor.
Ondaatje’s personal life is also intertwined with his literary pursuits. He has been married to novelist Linda Spalding, and the couple co-edits Brick. He has two children from his first marriage and is the brother of philanthropist Sir Christopher Ondaatje. He was also involved in a public stand against the PEN American Center's decision to honor Charlie Hebdo in 2015, citing concerns about the publication's anti-Islamic content.
Ondaatje’s enduring influence on literature and his ability to blend personal history with universal themes in his writing continue to shape Canadian and world literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
July 22, 2024
My enjoyment of these poems varied so much! The collection started off with some poems about being a writer, which I found pretty naval gazey, and I was a bit turned off to all the references to his own previous work (although I’m sure super fans appreciated them). There were some lengthy prose poems that were borderline essays and felt like they dragged on and on. BUT…his poems about love and travel were some of the loveliest that I’ve read all year. He has a true gift for finding the deepest beauty in the most ordinary moments. Because of that, I cannot in good conscience give this collection fewer than four stars.
December 29, 2023
I had been alone for weeks
when we met there,
below Dante. The three of
us lounged in a pensione,
I was writing a book about
a dying man.
Twenty years later, you were in a bed,
on Brunswick Avenue. And
I kissed your feet,
Connie, one of my shy
farewells.
It was your year of last
things,
but you were luminous,
within those final fires.
excerpted from “Below Dante”
Every now and then I read a book of poetry, but I really don’t know anything about poetry; I just know what moves me. I read A Year of Last Things: Poems because I’ve read, and admired, several of Michael Ondaatje’s novels, but this feels like an apples and oranges situation. Several of the poems in this collection did move me (at any rate, many stanzas did), but overall, I couldn’t say what even qualifies some of these entries as poetry (several look and read like prose: without line breaks, rhythm, or rhyme), so I’m satisfied to attribute any failure to click to my own shortcomings. I do admire the effort and am happy to have now sampled more of Ondaatje’s writing. (Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and excerpts quoted may not be in their final forms; it's unfortunate that I can't recreate line indents here.)
When that English novelist
returned to poetry
he learned again the
breaking line’s breath-
like leap
into the missed life
till there was no longer a
story, only stillness
or falling.
He’d altered so many
truths as prose
it was like herding cattle.
excerpted from “1912”
A Year of Last Things is autobiographical and intertextual — Ondaatje references his own work (explaining the inspirations behind characters in Anil’s Ghost and The Cat’s Table [one assumes the “book about a dying man” referred to in that first poem is The English Patient]) and he quotes from and makes reference to a wide panoply of artists and poets, from Bashō to Chuck Berry — and there’s a wistful sense of looking back and taking stock (with neither women nor pets sticking around forever). The landscape moves from Sri Lanka to Pompei to a “bus travelling from Marrakesh to Fez”, and throughout, there are countless rivers and estuaries; time flowing like water. This reads exactly as what it is: a successful novelist returning to poetry in his golden years to capture something of the breadth of his interests and experience. As for the poems, some did work for me, as in this opening to “Wanderer”:
Let us speak about our
enormous flaws as told
to us
by others — accountants,
wives before leaving —
about how we deceived
ourselves, even our dogs
by ignoring their
concerned pre-walk,
tear-stained howls,
though they rested often
on our chests
making sounds like old
ships.
And some were less successful for me, as in “The Cabbagetown Pet Clinic”, shared here in its entirety:
For years I wrote during
the day
above a veterinarian
The howls, the heavy
breathing, the sighs
from that faraway
untranslated world
Again: I have no tools with which to pry apart these poems and understand their construction, so I can only report on their surface effect; an uneven experience for me, but I’m rounding up to four stars because this feels successful (if a bit over my own head).
June 7, 2024
The world slowed down and melted away as I listened to Michael Ondaatje read his own words. I found myself listening attentively to his gentle tones.
Favorite lines:
From Wanderer:
"The dissolved genealogy that had crossed borders and war zones with them."
"He knew already the great engines of this world do not run on faithfulness."
From Last Things:
"All the small recalls of this and that before I walk up a staircase into the dark."
From Estuaries:
"In that blessed invisibility of a life we're all of a kind, all of us strangers."
Favorite lines:
From Wanderer:
"The dissolved genealogy that had crossed borders and war zones with them."
"He knew already the great engines of this world do not run on faithfulness."
From Last Things:
"All the small recalls of this and that before I walk up a staircase into the dark."
From Estuaries:
"In that blessed invisibility of a life we're all of a kind, all of us strangers."
February 7, 2024
’Writing isn’t just telling stories….It’s telling everything all at once.’
MARGUERITE DURAS
I read this over a period of time, in between other reads. For me, poetry is not something you read poem after poem without thinking about, savoring, or highlighting it if it is one that moves you and you want to think about, and perhaps remember. This collection begins with several thought-provoking poems, but there are also some that are simple, simply lovely, while others take you to other places, and share the view.
This brought back so many memories for me, of sitting by my grandfather when I was a child as he typed out poems he wrote, sometimes asking for my ‘advice’ for the right word to use next, or even what ‘we’ should write a poem about. I still have a copy of all of his poems typed out on onion skin paper. My father also had his own copies and wanted to have them printed for a book for each member of our family. I wish he had, but my father was a pilot, and therefore most often flying around the world somewhere, and he likely forgot about it.
The poems in this book reminded me at times of those days, those memories, and how simple lines and brief passages can carry so much meaning in so few words.
Pub Date: 19 Mar 2024
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf
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September 9, 2024Ondaatje seems to be the kind of writer whose work and talent I just can’t reach through. I don’t think I’m his intended reader, nor does he seem to be my intended writer. If I met him I would nod with respect, call him Mr. Ondaatje and shake his hand cordially. But that would be it.
I find his writing “too coded” for me to connect with. I find it too distant and conceptual and crafted with the intention to wake a certain admiration for its craftsmanship. This is the third books of his I’ve read, and the first poetry collection, and I’m afraid it just strengthens my belief that he and I were not meant to be. It’s not you, Mr. Ondaatje, it’s me. Hence the lack of stars.
I find his writing “too coded” for me to connect with. I find it too distant and conceptual and crafted with the intention to wake a certain admiration for its craftsmanship. This is the third books of his I’ve read, and the first poetry collection, and I’m afraid it just strengthens my belief that he and I were not meant to be. It’s not you, Mr. Ondaatje, it’s me. Hence the lack of stars.
February 29, 2024
From one of the most influential writers of his generation, a surprising poetry collection about memory, history, and the act of looking back.
There were pieces of this collection that I found gorgeous and quite emotionally charged. There were others (enough to outweigh the good) that felt clunky. The prose was so thick, it felt like chewing on a fatty piece of steak that could never be fully digested.
I felt that it was too flowery where it didn't need to be in places. There were also parts that were so uniquely written they immediately evoked feeling.
There were pieces of this collection that I found gorgeous and quite emotionally charged. There were others (enough to outweigh the good) that felt clunky. The prose was so thick, it felt like chewing on a fatty piece of steak that could never be fully digested.
I felt that it was too flowery where it didn't need to be in places. There were also parts that were so uniquely written they immediately evoked feeling.
April 18, 2024
As I lingered over the poems in A Year of Last Things, I felt like a voyeur, witnessing intimacy that did not belong to me. Many of the poems are memories of past loves, of travel, of Ondaatje’s work as a writer. Some of the poems were so intensely personal, I was lost to find a foothold, but some of the imagery was so evocative, I felt deep connection. Uneven collection, in my opinion, but mining the gems was worth the effort.
August 30, 2024
A few months ago , when I visited Sarasavi bookshop to buy a gift , I happened across a slim book with Ondaatje’s name , in the new releases section.
I totally forgot about buying the gift and ended up grabbing ‘A Year of Last Things’.
I brought it home and started reading immediately.
After reading 5 poems, I stopped.
I didn’t want to read it in one sitting. This was sort of a memoir in poetry form, and I wanted to savor it slowly. This was a man in his 80’s looking back upon certain times , certain places , certain joys , certain sorrows and certain loves of his life.
It’s 8 decades condensed in to beguiling words, that make you conjure images of your own youth and your own joys/ sorrows of the past .
I wish that I have a fraction of his ability to turn certain moments in my life into poetry.
In his poem 5 A.M., dedicated to two friends he writes …
“The Wilderness of our Youth, an empty barn,
dancing with friends in to the small hours,
then daylight and the cars swerving away
wordless in to the dawn
It arrives all at once tonight,
not as a memory, but like a gift
from forgetfulness,
as a desire can wake you
or this poem
based on the accidental change of speed
In friend’s camera into slow motion.
So now I remember
the rest of our shadows
as we danced, all our heartbeats
under the thunder
and I can speak to you the way
we once sang farewells out of our cars
late at night, when those
goodbyes remembered everything “
For some reason , that resonated with me a lot.
At the current stage of my life , I find myself looking back at some of the lazy, crazy, hazy days of my youth. Just like Ondaatje states, sometimes all it takes is a watermarked, blurry old photograph, that you discovered while clearing up your desk.
He also writes about places that no longer exists in the real world. Places erased from maps , but still existing in people’s memories.
This is just one example of this exquisite collection of poetry which is at the same time both personal and universal.
Recommended to anyone interested.
July 13, 2024
I enjoyed the combo of poetry and prose jn this collection. It has the feel of a scrapbook of memories and reflections on writing and the process of past writings by the author, which I found intriguing and insightful. There are many pieces I flagged ti return to, and I will likely go back and reread the whole thing.
May 14, 2024
Michael Ondaatje is first and foremost a poet whose insights, perceptions and writing style are evident, as well, in his prose. Generally he is well known for his historical novel, The English Patient, and the eponymous film. Even though the film differed, somewhat, from the novel, it was just as elegiacally beautiful and haunting in plot, photography and accompanying score.
As I have stated before, “Poetry is the most intense and concentrated form of writing, using words, meter, rhyme, and format to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas that can be fact or fiction” and Michael Ondaatje is a magnificently able poet to do just that. He can be writing about bravery and kindness in the face of evil and how it changes our goals and actions, “Wanderer." A 13-paged prose remembrance, "Winchester House," about his early life in a private boys school, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, run by a malevolent headmaster. All of it summoned to his mind and spirit by a photograph, from that long-ago time, that he analyzes. An extended contemplation, in poetry and prose, “A Night Radio Station in Koprivshtitsa," that seamlessly fuses geographic locations, religious icons and of a great love. All three of these pieces need to be read slowly, several times, as the poet elegantly captivates and surprises us. A relatively short poem, “Singly in the midst of their own darkness,” is a challenge but the much shorter poem, “Nights when I drove,” directly conjures a time and a place when, “only our eyes holding on to each other with the danger of our love." There are more treasures in this collection.
Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction
As I have stated before, “Poetry is the most intense and concentrated form of writing, using words, meter, rhyme, and format to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas that can be fact or fiction” and Michael Ondaatje is a magnificently able poet to do just that. He can be writing about bravery and kindness in the face of evil and how it changes our goals and actions, “Wanderer." A 13-paged prose remembrance, "Winchester House," about his early life in a private boys school, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, run by a malevolent headmaster. All of it summoned to his mind and spirit by a photograph, from that long-ago time, that he analyzes. An extended contemplation, in poetry and prose, “A Night Radio Station in Koprivshtitsa," that seamlessly fuses geographic locations, religious icons and of a great love. All three of these pieces need to be read slowly, several times, as the poet elegantly captivates and surprises us. A relatively short poem, “Singly in the midst of their own darkness,” is a challenge but the much shorter poem, “Nights when I drove,” directly conjures a time and a place when, “only our eyes holding on to each other with the danger of our love." There are more treasures in this collection.
Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction
August 25, 2024
2.5-3.0? Michael Ondaatje is known for his novels, like The English Patient. He began his career, however, as a poet. In his newest book, he returns to poetry.
The poems in this collection mostly revolve around the themes of memory and/or travel. Most are structured but there are several that are just blocks of prose. I have trouble wrapping my head around how 3-4 pages of paragraphs constitutes as a poem, but I know that defining poetry is nearly impossible.
I found some turns of phrases and imagery interesting, but felt mostly unmoved by this collection. A lot of it seemed like navel gazing. Ondaatje is a big fan of name dropping artists and poets that the average reader has never heard of.
I did find his tributes to lost pets (“November” and “Stella”) charming.
The poems in this collection mostly revolve around the themes of memory and/or travel. Most are structured but there are several that are just blocks of prose. I have trouble wrapping my head around how 3-4 pages of paragraphs constitutes as a poem, but I know that defining poetry is nearly impossible.
I found some turns of phrases and imagery interesting, but felt mostly unmoved by this collection. A lot of it seemed like navel gazing. Ondaatje is a big fan of name dropping artists and poets that the average reader has never heard of.
I did find his tributes to lost pets (“November” and “Stella”) charming.
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April 19, 2024Atmospheric writing but I’m too stoopid to understand most of it 🙈
December 11, 2023
3 stars
I adore Ondaatje's novels, but this poetry collection just didn't work as well for me as I had hoped. Overall, the entries felt like an unusual combination of inaccessible and just more basic (colloquially) than I was expecting from a writer who has knocked my socks off repeatedly.
At the same time, the poem "November" is one I'll keep with me and put to good use for a long time. That one speaks to an experience that I expect many readers will connect with; I know I did.
I remain an avid fan of Ondaatje's novels, and despite my less than enthusiastic reaction to this collection, I will definitely give his poetry another shot.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I adore Ondaatje's novels, but this poetry collection just didn't work as well for me as I had hoped. Overall, the entries felt like an unusual combination of inaccessible and just more basic (colloquially) than I was expecting from a writer who has knocked my socks off repeatedly.
At the same time, the poem "November" is one I'll keep with me and put to good use for a long time. That one speaks to an experience that I expect many readers will connect with; I know I did.
I remain an avid fan of Ondaatje's novels, and despite my less than enthusiastic reaction to this collection, I will definitely give his poetry another shot.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
December 28, 2023
I an ARC of this book via NetGalley. This collection of poems didn't work for me at all. By the end I felt like it was a bunch of word vomit. Everything felt clunky, it didn't feel cohesive at all. Not just as a collection, but even within some of the longer form poems, it felt like I was trying to follow a disjointed train of thought. Some poems also came across as almost name droppy or pretentious with the sheer number of references. I haven't read anything from this author before, and if this is their style then I think it's just really not for me.
December 27, 2023
Such a deft hand. Sometimes I marvel at how a poet uses the same words we use every day - simple, ordinary words - and turns them into something marvelous. This collection seems soft and nostalgic, almost a commonplace book thematically reflecting upon the things he loves, remembers with clarity or half-remembers with feeling, and it almost feels as if he writes these moments unaware that we are watching. I enjoyed being pulled along for the ride and thoroughly loved this tender revelry.
July 11, 2025
Back in my university days (yes, the '70s) I read Michael Ondaatje's Collected works of Billy the Kid; Left Handed Poems. I've read it once again more recently and enjoyed it again. I've also read two of his fiction works, Anil's Ghost (my favorite work of his so far) and In the Skin of the Lion. And no, I've never read The English Patient nor seen the movie. I am Elaine in that regard... (cool Seinfeld reference) When I saw A Year of Last Things: Poems, his most recent work and another poetry collection, I thought I'd give it a try.
It's beautifully written but for the most part, I had difficulty relating to many of the poems. It's a voyage through Ondaatje's life, past and present, and I did like the references to locations, to other authors and poets. There were some longer pieces, more short stories then poems that I found very interesting. I especially liked 'Winchester House' in that he relates it to one of his characters in Anil's Ghost. That was also a very painful, traumatic story about his and other children's difficulties at a boarding school in Sri Lanka, that being Winchester House. There was a particularly portion about the aging priest who caused their pain, who still inflicted it on his dog and that really bothered me, especially since I've just lost our beloved dog / friend. In that regard, the poem Stella also hit me deeply. Odd that it came up so closely after we had our dog, Clyde, put to sleep.
'In the last hours before her death
her enemies came A raccoon, that storm,
the FedEx truck manned by a gentle woman
who'd recently lost her own dog.
Considering the woman who was usually her enemy
our dog perhaps read the grief in her,'
'Now we are less. How do we become more?
How to die courteous and beautiful
protecting her house, guarding our door.' (This did strike very close to my heart)
As I say, it's beautifully written and well worth exploring Ondaatje's unique writing style. (3.0 stars)
It's beautifully written but for the most part, I had difficulty relating to many of the poems. It's a voyage through Ondaatje's life, past and present, and I did like the references to locations, to other authors and poets. There were some longer pieces, more short stories then poems that I found very interesting. I especially liked 'Winchester House' in that he relates it to one of his characters in Anil's Ghost. That was also a very painful, traumatic story about his and other children's difficulties at a boarding school in Sri Lanka, that being Winchester House. There was a particularly portion about the aging priest who caused their pain, who still inflicted it on his dog and that really bothered me, especially since I've just lost our beloved dog / friend. In that regard, the poem Stella also hit me deeply. Odd that it came up so closely after we had our dog, Clyde, put to sleep.
'In the last hours before her death
her enemies came A raccoon, that storm,
the FedEx truck manned by a gentle woman
who'd recently lost her own dog.
Considering the woman who was usually her enemy
our dog perhaps read the grief in her,'
'Now we are less. How do we become more?
How to die courteous and beautiful
protecting her house, guarding our door.' (This did strike very close to my heart)
As I say, it's beautifully written and well worth exploring Ondaatje's unique writing style. (3.0 stars)
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June 9, 2024I wanted to enjoy this poetry. I read a lot yet apparently am not knowledgeable enough to recognize or appreciate the many references to other literature and poetry. I will not give this a rating but will say I struggled through it... and most appreciated the poem about the cat. Perhaps others, more astute with poetry can be responsible for the ratings.
April 16, 2024
Mr. Ondaatje has long been one of my favorite authors. The English Patient and Warlight are both on my "best books of all time list." What I did not realize (and should have) was that Ondaatje is also a poet. So when I had the opportunity to get a digital copy in advance, I jumped!
The poems are really lovely. Really. Lovely. With this collection of poems Ondaatje takes you with him through the journeys of his life. I read this book through at least three times before putting it down. I have only the digital version, but I will be purchasing a hard copy to keep at my desk. His words are sometimes just the thing to complete your day.
I highly recommend!
I would like to thank Netgalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the digital copy of this book! It was published March 19th (and would be a great thing to pick up for National Poetry Month!)
The poems are really lovely. Really. Lovely. With this collection of poems Ondaatje takes you with him through the journeys of his life. I read this book through at least three times before putting it down. I have only the digital version, but I will be purchasing a hard copy to keep at my desk. His words are sometimes just the thing to complete your day.
I highly recommend!
I would like to thank Netgalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the digital copy of this book! It was published March 19th (and would be a great thing to pick up for National Poetry Month!)
June 15, 2024
This book of free verse and prose poetry is rich in imagery. It is mellifluous, saturating into open spaces large and small. His words are as evocative as sucking marrow from quail bones. Ondaatje's sense of collective memory, drawing from his roots which stretch far and wide, added joy and contemplative silence to the reading and inspired me to capture what welled up in me while imbibing these poems into some verse of my own.
July 15, 2024
Ondaatje has a beautiful sense of rhythm and scene, crafting poetry and prose-poems that feel as natural and effortless as a strong-flowing river. He's got the same standing as one, a marked and irrefutable place-of-being in the geography of Canadian literature that makes him difficult to write about. I take it for granted that a new book of poetry by him will be monumental and beyond what I can comment on. I drifted sometimes as I read, depending on the poem, but more often I let myself open up into the worlds/moments he described, images that left a little door for you to enter in and see from within. This is a very reflective book, of course. At this stage of his life, his career, his theme is memory and what has passed. Time compresses, though, the distant past no further from grasp than the recent.
November 21, 2024
Lovely meditative poetry book. I particularly liked the poems Lost, Nights When I Drove, and November.
May 23, 2025
meh. Couldn't grab the magic on this one.
March 23, 2024
A poignant poetry collection that tugs at the heartstrings. Perfect for those who've been waiting for more from Ondaatje.
April 18, 2024
Few writers own more of my admiration than Michael Ondaatje. His novels have enchanted and often left me in awe: breathless in love with his wizardry of evocative language, with his complex and mysterious characters, and with his bold, spellbinding narratives, where he investigates truths with such a tender, humble blend of tragedy and redemption, sorrow and bliss.
Regarding his poetry, I’ve read most of Ondaatje’s volumes and indeed they lack nothing in showcasing his commitment to exploring ideas and language, yet I find his verses elusive, often abstruse and hard to grapple with, his images profound but frustrating to hold together, almost trying too hard to locate and convey a hidden world of meanings that he is more successful at capturing with assurance through the vehicle of his novels.
A Year of Last Things leaves me with mixed reactions. Ondaatje offers over a hundred pages of poems and prose reflections, yet I didn’t find the volume containing many memorable pieces—what I deem poems worth making copies and reading over and over. From short to exceedingly long pieces, Ondaatje is at his best as a poet when he presents the sad and pleasant rush of nostalgia as he collects memories, trying to make sense of and preserve moments that are vivid, that refuse to fade, whether those memories are puzzling or reassuring.
He dedicates this volume to his wife Linda, and my two favorite poems in the book are “The Then” and “Two Photographs” where he expresses his great fortune and gratitude for meeting Linda, even as he imagines and admires her life before him in her previous marriage. I wish he had produced more pieces directly celebrating his appreciation for her influence and impact on his life.
Nonetheless, throughout these many dozens of poems, both traditional and prose pieces, Ondaatje has the remarkable ability to turn the perfect phrase that leaves you thinking that he has once again, as he so often does in his novels, captured the truth. In the “Wanderer” he gives us this beautiful hope: “For there is only, but always, a small tunnel of escape / for forgiveness.” Then in “A Night Radio Station in Koprivshtitsa” he reminds us of the sad truth of history and our seemingly impermanent existence in the world: “Most stories remain unresolved, / undiscovered, like the breaking of a rule.”
Regarding his poetry, I’ve read most of Ondaatje’s volumes and indeed they lack nothing in showcasing his commitment to exploring ideas and language, yet I find his verses elusive, often abstruse and hard to grapple with, his images profound but frustrating to hold together, almost trying too hard to locate and convey a hidden world of meanings that he is more successful at capturing with assurance through the vehicle of his novels.
A Year of Last Things leaves me with mixed reactions. Ondaatje offers over a hundred pages of poems and prose reflections, yet I didn’t find the volume containing many memorable pieces—what I deem poems worth making copies and reading over and over. From short to exceedingly long pieces, Ondaatje is at his best as a poet when he presents the sad and pleasant rush of nostalgia as he collects memories, trying to make sense of and preserve moments that are vivid, that refuse to fade, whether those memories are puzzling or reassuring.
He dedicates this volume to his wife Linda, and my two favorite poems in the book are “The Then” and “Two Photographs” where he expresses his great fortune and gratitude for meeting Linda, even as he imagines and admires her life before him in her previous marriage. I wish he had produced more pieces directly celebrating his appreciation for her influence and impact on his life.
Nonetheless, throughout these many dozens of poems, both traditional and prose pieces, Ondaatje has the remarkable ability to turn the perfect phrase that leaves you thinking that he has once again, as he so often does in his novels, captured the truth. In the “Wanderer” he gives us this beautiful hope: “For there is only, but always, a small tunnel of escape / for forgiveness.” Then in “A Night Radio Station in Koprivshtitsa” he reminds us of the sad truth of history and our seemingly impermanent existence in the world: “Most stories remain unresolved, / undiscovered, like the breaking of a rule.”
May 9, 2024
FANTASTIC!!
December 5, 2023
Michael Ondaatje is one of my immediate read authors - anything he writes, I will read. This latest collection of poetry does not disappoint, and it was a gentle, nostalgic read. My immediate thoughts after finishing the book, was this felt like an archive of art and memory. (Although one can argue perhaps that is just what an archive is). The poems flow together like the streams, estuaries, and rivers he frequently evokes in this collection. Not only do these poems speak about a journey into the past and memory, but also journey across the globe from Japan, England, Sri Lanka, to the Holland Tunnel in New York and the bus to Fez. Although there is the theme of loss and death and moving beyond, I felt grounded and directed with each poem. Ondaatje guides through his poems by invoking and interspersing his own poems with references to films, music, and other writers. He writes within a larger tradition that traces back thousands of years, his language an echo of the language of others.
I thought this collection to be stunning and provocative in a tender way, imbued with a sense of time and memory and nostalgia. There is a sense of tenderness towards the pass, but also a fear and longing for it. As with his many other wonderful works, this did not disappoint.
I thought this collection to be stunning and provocative in a tender way, imbued with a sense of time and memory and nostalgia. There is a sense of tenderness towards the pass, but also a fear and longing for it. As with his many other wonderful works, this did not disappoint.
February 21, 2024
I have not read anything by Ondaatje in years, the last being Anil's Ghost. This collection of poems and short prose pieces is a wonderful re-introduction. There is an elegiac, reflective quality to these seemingly highly autobiographical pieces. It's hard to describe the mood, but the sense is of a world gone by, with a very post-colonial feel. There are some striking images, such as a description of a gentle English birder describing birdsong a few days before his death in WW1.
There is a depth to the recollection here, a distillation of a widely traveled and widely read life. A very enjoyable read.
Thanks to the publisher for this ARC through NetGalley
There is a depth to the recollection here, a distillation of a widely traveled and widely read life. A very enjoyable read.
Thanks to the publisher for this ARC through NetGalley
December 12, 2023
These are sentimental times. They are remembered and longed for again. Something in the poems inspires a good cry. A time to reach back for an old love. They are not afraid of self pity. It is a song. Some of the poems are like stories. These are about the war and friends. Companions shared in conversation. If loneliness is here, It is mellow. Needs surpass any hunger for deception. If you want a new family, you remarry. Everything is alright.You did what you had to do and more. The poems are lovely and deep as the water in a well. Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water...Meet Dante Alighieri.
March 15, 2024
I was so curious to read this new poetry book by such an acclaimed Canadian author! A Year of Last Things by Michael Ondaatje is a good poetry book. I enjoyed the prose style and the main theme of remembrance. It was interesting how these poems looked to his past, his relationships and his travels. There’s the town of Koprivshtitsa mentioned that I had to look up as I hadn’t heard of it before. I loved the mention of another acclaimed Canadian poet Paul Vermeersch who I’ve read before. I really liked the included photograph of his friend Skanda’s childhood place.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley for my ARC!
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley for my ARC!
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