This thesis is the first attempt in literary studies to explore the poetics of identity in Philip Michael Ondaatje’s writing. The purpose of the research is thus to identify and characterize the notion of «identity» in the writer’s literary works, and to examine the unique poetic elements present in his novelist writing. The relevance of the study is in tune with the representation of the complex interplay of colonial legacies, multicultural trends at the end of the 20th century, and contemporary transcultural processes in M. Ondaatje’s works. In the fiction novels, the most pressing issues concerning the formation of cultural, national, and personal identities are delineated. The significance of this study is determined by the important opportunity to advance the literary research of personal and collective identity in the contemporary multicultural world. Thus, in the thesis, the concept of «identity» in the humanities of the 20th and the early decades of the 21st century was systematized. Additionally, types of identity were identified and characterized. It was found that the artistic conception of identity in M. Ondaatje’s novels corresponds to E. Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, H. Bhabha’s notion of hybrid identity, as well as M. Foucault’s classification of the functions of heterotopic space. While analyzing M. Ondaatje’s writing, the productivity of P. Ricoeur’s concept of narrative identity, the theories of trauma and memory by D. LaCapra and K. Caruth, the principles of intertextuality, hybridization of literary forms, and the non-linear narrative structures developed in a postmodern literary criticism was proved. The selection of novels from the 1980s to the 2010s, including «Running in the Family» (1982), «In the Skin of a Lion» (1987), «The English Patient» (1996), «Anil’s Ghost» (2000), and «The Cat’s Table» (2011), enabled the tracing of the writer’s evolving aesthetic and literary views and confirmed that the concept of hybridity holds a central place in the poetics of M. Ondaatje’s works. Within the framework of a systemic investigation of the author’s identity, the analyzed interviews with M. Ondaatje provided insight into his autobiographical memory. M. Ondaatje’s hybrid literary identity is shaped by his strong connection to Canada and its literature, as well as his acknowledgment of the influence of Sri Lankan culture. By actualizing aspects of autobiography and memoir literature in the novels «Running in the Family» and «The Cat’s Table», the author’s unique identity traits were explored. «Running in the Family» is characterized as a postmodern memoir distinguished by its genre eclecticism, intertextual references, and the integration of ironic and humorous elements. In the novel «The Cat’s Table», a reconstructed crisis and traumatic episode from the lives of the central teenage characters, combined with the author’s autobiographical experiences and the motif of an intercontinental journey unveils the migrant child’s identity-building process. M. Ondaatje’s novels were examined through the lenses of postcolonial, multicultural/transcultural, and postmodern themes. Furthermore, the artistic representation of individuals in the quest for their identity within heterotopic spaces of post-apocalyptic worlds, diasporic topoi, and traumatic experiences was analyzed. M. Ondaatje’s writing is marked by complex spatial dynamics, enabling an examination of the author’s approach to constructing the characters’ and narrators’ identities in his literary works. In the postcolonial novel «In the Skin of a Lion», M. Ondaatje demonstrates human adaptability to different cultures and spaces. It is demonstrated that diaspora, like any heterotopia, creates a real space where elements of different cultures interact, forming a specific type of diasporic identity. In M. Ondaatje’s novel «The English Patient», the villa’s heterotopic space, half-destroyed by bombing, is portrayed as having utopian qualities, offering an alternative, secure reality distinct from the post-apocalyptic world. The narrative explores the physical, moral, and spiritual challenges faced by the characters during and after World War II. In the novel «Anil’s Ghost», space reflects postcolonial trauma: areas altered by war and violence become heterotopic, distorting traditional notions of a peaceful world. The nonlinear plot conveys the complex search for identity and lost family connections, both in the past and the present. The fragmented narrative corresponds to the fragmented nature of trauma, as past traumatic experiences have far-reaching consequences in the future. It is concluded that M. Ondaatje’s novels provide a unique lens for exploring and deepening the understanding of various forms of identity shaped in a global, dynamic, multicultural world. These forms of identity constitute one of the leading concepts for analyzing the human individual, social, and cultural essence in contemporary humanities.
