The Cinnamon Peeler

By Michael Ondaatje

If Michael Ondaatje's novels have the compression and imagistic power of poetry, his poems often read like narratives that have been pared down to their mysterious essence. The poems that have been brought together in this electrifying volume are stylish yet endlessly surprising exploration of friendship and passion, family history and personal mythology. 

Spanning twenty-seven years and representing the best poems from Ondaatje's hard-to-find earlier collections, The Cinnamon Peeler is a masterpiece of intelligence and ardor, informed by rueful wit, sensitivity to nature, and an exultant love of language.