The English Patient: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''All I desired was to walk upon such an earth that had no maps.''|The English Patient}}

'''''The English Patient''''' is a 1992 novel by Canadian author Michael Ondaatje, and is a sequel to ''[[In the Skin of a Lion]]''. The book opens in an abandoned villa in [[World War II]] Italy, where Hana, a Canadian army nurse, cares for a man referred to as the English Patient. He refuses to reveal his identity, but his speech and mannerisms indicate that he's an Englishman (his status as a patient is considerably less ambiguous, given that he's being treated for critical burns all over his body). Hana and the Patient are joined by David Caravaggio, a Canadian thief who knew Hana before the war, and who worked as an Allied spy until he was captured and maimed; and Kip, an Indian Sikh who's one of the best sappers in the British army. The story sprawls out [[Anachronic Order|non-linearly]], digging into each character's backstory, with running themes of nationality, nationalism, and the [[Power of Love]].

Made into [[The Film of the Book|a 1996 movie]] directed by Anthony Minghella. It cast Juliette Binoche as Hana, [[Ralph Fiennes]] as the "English Patient", [[Willem Dafoe]] as Caravaggio, and [[Naveen Andrews]] as Kip. The film was a box office hit, earning $231,976,425 in the worldwide market. It has earned the distinguished pop-culture status of being "That movie Elaine bitched about in that one episode of [[Seinfeld]]." Both versions won a bunch of awards, most prominently the 1997 [[Academy Award|Oscar for Best Picture]].