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Article: The philanthropic geographer: born on a tea plantation in Ceylon, Sir Christopher Ondaatje represented Canada at the Olympics then made his fortune in publishing, before settling into life as an explorer and writer. Miranda Haines talks to him about how his love of Africa inspired him to write about Ernest Hemingway in his latest book.
- Article from:
- Geographical
- Article date:
- February 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Circle Publishing Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Frequent visitors to the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) will need no introduction to Sir Christopher Ondaatje. Since first lecturing there in 1996, he has gone from an unknown in the UK to one of our leading philanthropists. As a travel writer, he specialises in the great Victorian explorers. He gives energetic lectures to packed houses, often in the Ondaatje Theatre, which was recently renovated thanks to his donation. Last year, he was awarded a knighthood.
The tall, thin explorer welcomes me warmly into his penthouse flat in Chelsea and introduces his wife Yana. She makes us fresh coffee as we settle into an impressive room decorated with Asian ...