
The Distance of a Shout: Selected Poems
Michael Ondaatje(Author)
Jonathan Cape (Publisher)
Published on 12. March 2026
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-78733-631-5 (ISBN)
Description
From independence movements in Sri Lanka to train stations in contemporary Ontario, an intimate and witty selection of Michael Ondaatje's most widely loved poems taken across fifty years
'My life always stops for a new book by Michael Ondaatje' JHUMPA LAHIRI
Through poems that grow out of his profound understanding of the subtle complexities of life and relationships, of how we lose and find ourselves, Michael Ondaatje navigates his own past, beginning with memories of his childhood in Sri Lanka and his eccentric family, to his life in rural southern Ontario with its beloved rivers, celebrations of treasured friends, the close ties of children.
Ondaatje is one of the great poets of love, and here we follow him through the exhilarations of youth into that 'storm of music', the passionate, sensuous swerves of longing and desire, until we reach the calm of that moment when 'only a cloud's reflection holding you up / You swim into late afternoon'.
The Distance of a Shout offers us a glimpse into the interwoven life and art of one of our most cherished poets and novelists - a reminder itself of the power of great poetry to shine a light on living.
'Each new book of Michael Ondaatje's is a literary event, but that is particularly true for his books of poetry' TERRANCE HAYES
'My life always stops for a new book by Michael Ondaatje' JHUMPA LAHIRI
Through poems that grow out of his profound understanding of the subtle complexities of life and relationships, of how we lose and find ourselves, Michael Ondaatje navigates his own past, beginning with memories of his childhood in Sri Lanka and his eccentric family, to his life in rural southern Ontario with its beloved rivers, celebrations of treasured friends, the close ties of children.
Ondaatje is one of the great poets of love, and here we follow him through the exhilarations of youth into that 'storm of music', the passionate, sensuous swerves of longing and desire, until we reach the calm of that moment when 'only a cloud's reflection holding you up / You swim into late afternoon'.
The Distance of a Shout offers us a glimpse into the interwoven life and art of one of our most cherished poets and novelists - a reminder itself of the power of great poetry to shine a light on living.
'Each new book of Michael Ondaatje's is a literary event, but that is particularly true for his books of poetry' TERRANCE HAYES
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
304 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78733-631-5 (9781787336315)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Michael Ondaatje
The Distance of a Shout: Selected Poems
E-Book
03/2026
Vintage Digital
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Michael Ondaatje is the author of seven novels; a memoir, Running in the Family; a non-fiction book on film, The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film; and several books of poetry, including The Cinnamon Peeler and Handwriting. The English Patient received the Booker Prize in 1992 and the Golden Man Booker in 2018, and was made into a film directed by Anthony Minghella. Anil's Ghost was awarded the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, the Giller Prize and the Prix Medicis. Born in Sri Lanka, Michael Ondaatje lives in Toronto.