In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy boards a huge liner bound for England. At mealtimes, he is placed at the lowly 'Cat's Table' with an eccentric group of grown-ups and two other boys. As the ship makes its way across the Indian Ocean, into the Mediterranean, the boys become involved in the worlds and stories of the adults around them.

Michael Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka in 1943. In the 1950s he moved to England, and went to school in south London. In 1962 he emigrated to Canada, where he has lived ever since. His books include his memoir, Running in the Family, numerous collections of poetry, and five novels - including The English Patient which won the 1992 Booker Prize.

Michael Ondaatje: Michael Ondaatje wurde 1943 in Sri Lanka geboren, ist holländisch-tamilisch-singhalesischer Abstammung und lebt heute in Kanada. Seit 1971 unterrichtet er am Glendon College der York University (Toronto) Gegenwartsliteratur. Seine Bücher wurden mehrfach mit dem höchsten Kanadischen Literaturpreis ausgezeichnet, und für seinen Roman "Der englische Patient" erhielt er 1992 den Booker-Preis.