The life of pi
Study guide
About the Author
Yann Martel was born in 1963 in Salamanca, Spain. Yann later moved to Canada and attended Trent University in Ontario, where he received a Philosophy degree. Yann worked a variety of different jobs, including planting trees, washing dishes and guarding before showing interest in writing. Martel began writing while in Trent University where he wrote plays and short stories. Later on he became a professional writer at the age of twenty-seven. His first book, was a collection of stories titled The Facts Concerning the Helsinki Roccamatios, and was published on 1990. The book won many awards including the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, as well as the 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. The book was to be a bestseller in several awards including the New York Times Bestseller list where it stayed up for 61 weeks and has since sold over 12 million copies. Yann received his inspiration for his best work from a review of the novel Max and the Cats by Brazilian author Moacyr Scliar. His work was then adapted on the screen and was directed by Ang Lee. The movie won four Oscars including an award for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. Today Yann Martel continues to write and will surely become an even more successful Author.