Home > Authors > Yann Martel

Introduction

Yann Martel

The author of one of 2001’s best-selling novels, Life of Pi, Yann Martel eventually won the prestigious Man Booker Prize in 2002. The well-received novel about a boy stranded on a lifeboat with a curious cast of wild animals also earned numerous other awards, including Canada’s Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. It is possible, however, that Martel’s masterpiece is not entirely his own creation. Apparently, a great deal of the story in Life of Pi had been inspired by Moacyr Scliar’s 1981 book Max e os Felinos. Martel said he had been greatly influenced by the earlier novel but did not plagiarize. Because Scliar did not pursue a lawsuit, the literary scandal quickly died down and Martel was free to focus on his writing. His new book—a Holocaust story featuring two animals talking on a man’s shirt—is scheduled to appear in 2008.

Essential Facts

1. Martel has had a colorful life. Born in Spain, he has traveled extensively, and once spent six months in India visiting mosques, temples, churches, and zoos. He followed that visit up with a year reading only religious books.
2. Martel has collaborated with Canadian composer Omar Daniel on a piece called “You Are Where You Are.” The composition includes music for piano, string quartet, and bass, and it is based on Martel’s text of cell phone conversations.
3. Interesting jobs Martel held before he made a living as a writer include tree planter, dishwasher, security guard, and parking lot attendant.
4. Before he devoted his life to writing, Martel wanted to be either a politician or an anthropologist.
5. When asked whether he prefers writing or researching, Martel said, “I couldn’t imagine writing without research. I don’t know anything. And I don’t like books that look inward; I like books that look out.”