One section of the book, the "In Situ" chapter, appeared in slightly different form in The New Yorker, August 1992, as a short story entitled "Drawn by Desire."

There it functions as a complete tale in itself; in the novel it serves as a background sketch for Kip's role in the war.

The English Patient was made into a critically acclaimed movie in 1996. Produced by Saul Zaentz (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and written and directed by Anthony Minghella, an English playwright and film maker, it won academy awards for best picture and best director.

The movie starred Richard Finnes (The English Patient), Juliette Binoche (Hana), William Depo (Caravaggio), Navreen Andrews (Kip), Kristen Scott-Thomas (Katherine), Julian Wodam (Maddox), and Colin Firth (Geoffrey). Ondaatje himself was pleased with the production, saying that he easily recognized his characters in the screen version. The movie version places greater emphasis than the...