Fictionalization of History in Michael Ondaatie's Anil's Ghost

Abstract

Fictionalization of History in Michael Ondaatje’s Anil’s Ghost The research explores the historical elements in Michael Ondaatje’s Anil’s Ghost. In the text, Ondaatje brings the historical war between the Sirlankan government and rebellion Tamil Tigers from mid 1980s to early 1990s. This research probes into the unreliable character Sarath, and his narration about Sirilanka. He narrates the incidents in broken English with several discontinuities. Sarath presents a dreary, hellish picture of Srilanka during the civil war. However, he withdraws his own narration in the course of novel. He even claims that he is not sure about the incidents happened in his life because he is suffering from mental illness. Throughout the unreliable narrative of Sarath, Ondaatje deconstructs the traditional notion of history as the matter of facts and he claims that history is the matter of fabricated power politics. Key Words: History, Discourse, Fictionalization, Truth