Yann Martel
1 book analyzed
Biography
Yann Martel (born 1963) is a Spanish-born Canadian author who spent years between careers before Life of Pi. In the mid-1990s, he was in Berlin, trying and failing to write a novel, when he read a review of Brazilian writer Moacyr Scliar's novella Max and the Cats — a story about a Jewish refugee crossing the Atlantic with a jaguar. Martel contacted Scliar's estate, acknowledged the inspiration, and dedicated the novel partly in Scliar's honor. Martel then traveled extensively in India, researching zoos, religion, and animal behavior for what would become Life of Pi. The novel was rejected by five publishers, won the Man Booker Prize in 2002, and sold 15 million copies. Martel later sent Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper a book every two weeks for four years, with letters about why literature matters — no replies were ever received.