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.”
 

Recommended Resources

  1. Life of Pi Lesson Plan (Teaching Unit)
  2. Life of Pi Summary & Essays - Yann Martel
  3. Yann Martel Criticism

All Resources

Display as: Categories, List
  1. Life of Pi Lesson Plan (Teaching Unit)
  2. Life of Pi Review - Yann Martel
  3. Life of Pi Summary & Essays - Yann Martel
  4. The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios-Review by Yann Martel
  5. Yann Martel Criticism
  6. Yann Martel Criticism | A. C. (review Date 27 May 1994)
  7. Yann Martel Criticism | Cary Fagan (review Date April 1993)
  8. Yann Martel Criticism | Charlotte Innes (review Date 19 August 2002)
  9. Yann Martel Criticism | Christine Hamelin (review Date November 1996)
  10. Yann Martel Criticism | Elizabeth Palmberg (review Date March-april 2003)
  11. Yann Martel Criticism | Francie Lin (review Date 16 June 2002)
  12. Yann Martel Criticism | Francis King (review Date 18 May 2002)
  13. Yann Martel Criticism | Gerald T. Cobb (review Date 14 April 2003)
  14. Yann Martel Criticism | Gordon Houser (review Date 8 February 2003)
  15. Yann Martel Criticism | Greg Hollingshead (review Date April 1996)
  16. Yann Martel Criticism | Jean Smith (review Date Spring 2003)
  17. Yann Martel Criticism | Julian Ferraro (review Date 22 November 1996)
  18. Yann Martel Criticism | Linda M. Morra (review Date Summer 2003)
  19. Yann Martel Criticism | Merna Summers (review Date June 1993)
  20. Yann Martel Criticism | Nathan Whitlock (review Date August 2001)
  21. Yann Martel Criticism | Pankaj Mishra (review Date 27 March 2003)
  22. Yann Martel Criticism | Randy Boyagoda (review Date May 2003)
  23. Yann Martel Criticism | Roz Kaveney (review Date 19 July 2002)
  24. Yann Martel Criticism | William Skidelsky (review Date 29 July 2002)
  25. Yann Martel Criticism | Yann Martel And Sabine Sielke (interview Date 2002)