ering in a deserted Italian villa. The characters rumi-
nate on their past as they endure the tension of their
isolation and uncertainty about the postwar world.
(Interestingly, the two Canadian characters were in-
troduced in Ondaatje’s 1987 novel,In the Skin of a
Lion.)The English Patientwas a worldwide best seller
and won the Booker Prize, the Canada-Australia
Prize, and the Canadian Governor General’s Award.
In 1996,The English Patientwas released as a fea-
ture film, with the screenplay adapted by director
Anthony Minghella. The film highlighted the ro-
mance between a beautiful Englishwoman and the
Hungarian archaeologist who becomes “the English
patient.” The young nurse was prominently fea-
tured—indeed, Juliette Binoche won the Oscar for
Best Supporting Actress for the role—but the Indian
sapper was reduced to a minor character. Ondaatje,
however, pronounced himself satisfied with the
changes represented in the cinematic version. The
film earned nine Academy Awards, two Golden
Globes, and six BAFTAs from the British Academy of
Film and Television Arts. It won Best Picture in each
competition.
Ondaatje was named an Officer of the Order of
Canada in 1988. The citation hailed his “extraordi-
narily visual” writing and his “interest in film as a
complement to literature.”
Impact Ondaatje is the author of more than a
dozen books of poetry, several novels, a memoir, and
numerous films, anthologies, and works of criticism.
The English Patientbrought him worldwide acclaim
that solidified his reputation as a fiction writer, and
his subsequent novels have been well received.Anil’s
Ghost(2000) returned to Sri Lanka to investigate the
brutal guerrilla war between the government and
the Tamil Tigers.
Further Reading
Barbour, Douglas. Michael Ondaatje. New York:
Twayne, 1993.
Jewinski, Ed.Michael Ondaatje: Express Yourself Beauti-
fully. Toronto: ECW Press, 1994.
Jan Hall
See also Academy Awards; Film in the United States;
Literature in Canada; Poetry.
O’Neal, Shaquille
Identification Professional basketball player
Born March 6, 1972; Newark, New Jersey
During the 1990’s, O’Neal was a dominant force on the
basketball court and became a media personality through
film and music.
Shaquille O’Neal starred in basketball at Robert G.
Cole High School in San Antonio, Texas, from 1987
to 1989. Louisiana State University (LSU) won the re-
cruiting battle for the seven-foot, one-inch, 301-
pound center’s services. Coach Dale Brown was im-
pressed with O’Neal’s tremendous work ethic, quick-
ness, and tenacious rebounding. As an LSU freshman
in 1990, O’Neal led the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) in rebounds. He earned College Player of the
Year honors and made consensus All-American in- Besides pacing the nation in rebounds, O’Neal
became the first player to lead the SEC in scoring, re-
bounding, field-goal percentage, and blocked shots
in the same season. The 20-10 Tigers shared the SEC
crown. A repeat All-American as a junior in 1992,
O’Neal ranked first in blocked shots and second in re-
bounds and scoring nationally. During his three-year
LSU career, O’Neal scored 1,941 points (21.6-point
average), converted 61 percent of his field goals,
made 1,217 rebounds (13.5 average), and blocked
412 shots (4.6 average) in 90 games. He made three
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
tournament appearances and trails only David Rob-
inson in NCAA career blocked shots average.
The Orlando Magic selected O’Neal as the first
overall pick in the 1992 National Basketball Associa-
tion (NBA) draft. O’Neal, who played for Orlando
from 1992 to 1996, garnered NBA Rookie of the Year
and All-Rookie First Team honors and finished sec-
ond in rebounding and blocked shots in 1993. He
collected a career-best 28 rebounds and 15 blocked
shots against the New Jersey Nets on November 20, - Besides lifting the Magic to the NBA Playoffs
for the first time in the franchise’s history in 1994, he
led the NBA in field-goal percentage and ranked sec-
ond in points and rebounds. The following season,
O’Neal topped the NBA in scoring with 2,315 points
(29.3-point average). Orlando captured the Atlantic
Division and reached the NBA Finals. O’Neal holds
Orlando career records for rebounds (3,691) and
blocked shots (824).
In 1996, O’Neal made the NBA’s Fiftieth Anniver-
650 O’Neal, Shaquille The Nineties in America