Born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to Major Mervyn Ondaatje and Doris Gratiaen, a Chetty-Burgher family of Dutch and Indian origin, Ondaatje first went to S. Thomas' Preparatory School in Kollupitiya as one of its first students, and later went to Blundell's School in the United Kingdom. His name comes from an Indian ancestor called Ondaatchi from Thanjavur, India.[6] After his alcoholic father lost the family fortune, Ondaatje had to leave school a year from graduation.
In 1956, he emigrated to Canada, arriving in Toronto with virtually no money. He quickly began to rebuild the family fortune, becoming a wealthy stockbroker, going on to be one of the three founding members of Loewen Ondaatje McCutcheon. He became a multi-millionaire in the publishing industry by founding the Pagurian Press, which he later sold to the Bronfman family.
He represented Canada in the four-man bobsled at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. Although the first Canadian men's team won gold in the event, Ondaatje's team finished 14th out of 18 teams.[7] He is a member of the Chester Yacht Club in Nova Scotia, where he owns an island with a view of Chester Harbour.[8][9]
In 2000, Ondaatje donated £2 million to the UK Labour Party,[17] and gave a further £100,000 to its head office in 2001.[18]
Adventurer
After many years of success, in which Ondaatje was considered one of Toronto's most aggressive and predatory businessmen, he left the business world in 1995. He moved to Britain and began a career as a philanthropist and adventurer. Travelling through India and Africa, he also became an author, following in the footsteps of his younger brother Michael Ondaatje, a novelist. His books describe his travels and adventures.[10]
His 2003 book Hemingway in Africa details his thesis regarding the life and motivations of Ernest Hemingway.
In 2011, he was made an Honorary Fellow of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) and was awarded its Gold Medal. In 2013, the RCGS established a medal in his name – the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration[21] — which is awarded annually to outstanding Canadian explorers.
Personal life
Ondaatje has three children with his Latvian-born wife, Valda:[22] David, a Hollywood script writer then movie producer, Seira and Jans Ondaatje.[23]
Publications
Olympic Victory: The story behind the Canadian Bob-Sled Club's incredible victory at the 1964 Winter Olympic Games (1967)
The Prime Ministers of Canada, 1867–1967 (1968)
Leopard in the Afternoon — An Africa Tenting Safari (1989)
The Man-eater of Punanai — a Journey of Discovery to the Jungles of Old Ceylon (1992)
Sindh Revisited: A Journey in the Footsteps of Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton (1996)
Journey to the Source of the Nile (1999)
Hemingway in Africa: The Last Safari (2004)
Woolf in Ceylon: An Imperial Journey in the Shadow of Leonard Woolf, 1904–1911 (2005)
The Power of Paper: A History, a Financial Adventure and a Warning (2007)
The Glenthorne Cat and other amazing leopard stories (2008)
The Last Colonial: Curious Adventures & Stories from a Vanishing World (2011)
Ondaatje, Christopher, ed. (2013). Love Duet and Other Curious Stories about Music. Minehead, Somerset: Rare Books and Berry.
^In the Baronage of Scotland, a Lord is the second degree rank of baronage nobility but is also always baron. Note that for Lords in the Baronage of Scotland a baron is a lord and a lord is a baron and can be used interchangeable or as per the preference of the holder. While a Scots baron - that is not a lord - is only ever called baron.
^In 2004 Leslie Castle, a splendid baronial mansion converted into a hotel, was sold by David Carnegie Leslie – a member of the Clan Leslie – to Sir Christopher Ondaatje and became a private residence.[2] Subsequently, in January of 2018, Leslie Castle changed hands again and was sold to Mr John Andrea, the then new Baron of Leslie.[3][4]
Further reading
Ridley, Jane (4 January 2014). "The food of love". Books. The Spectator. 324 (9671): 25. Reviews Love duet ....
