The English Patient

Synopsis of The English Patient

«The English Patient» is the novel by Michael Ondaatje, published by Vintage Books in paperback (305 pages, in English).

In an abandoned Italian villa at the end of the Second World War, four damaged lives intertwine. Hana, a nurse exhausted by death, cares for the last patient: a nameless man horribly burned. Caravaggio, a thief with mutilated hands, seeks to rebuild his identity, while Kip, an Indian sapper, risks his life defusing bombs. The patient's memories illuminate a story of suffering, rescue and betrayal.

Novel winner of the Booker Prize in 1992 and the Golden Man Booker Prize in 2018. It was adapted into a film in 1996 by Anthony Minghella.

For readers of historical and literary fiction who value intense characters and atmospheric prose set during wartime.