Author's Life

Early Life and Education

 Yann Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain. He has a brother named Pascal Martel who played a role in his life. His father, Emile, was a heavy influence on his life from a young age, as he was an acclaimed poet as well as a diplomat. Both his parents were pursuing post-graduate studies when Martel was both. They lived in Portugal for a short time before moving to Alaska while his father taught French and Spanish literature. Finally, his parents Emile and Nicole got into Foreign Affairs Canada where they primarily work. Martel did a lot of traveling, living in countries like Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, France, and the United States. He even taught, similar to his father, in India and Germany. He completed his secondary education in Canada at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario. He then continued his studies at Trent University and Concordia University, earning a Bachelors in philosophy. The family’s constant moving causes Yann to be experiencing different parts of the world constantly and moving to multiple countries. He worked many different jobs before fully pursuing writing like a security guard at the Canadian embassy in Paris, a dishwasher in Ontario, and a Parking lot attendant in Ottawa.

Career

Martel has had a pretty successful career so far. He has written many novels and short stories. His first pieces came in 1993 when he wrote Seven Stories and The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios. These short stories were not the biggest sellers at the time, but it got Martel out in the world of literature and gave him some confidence that his dreams of writing could be a reality. His first novel came shortly after in 1996 called Self. He viewed this novel as a failure (even though it ended up doing fine), but used this challenge to propel himself into his best selling book to this day, Life of Pi. Life of Pi revolves around a 16 year old boy who gets stranded on a small lifeboat after his boat crashes. On the boat, there are many animals, including a tiger. However, this is all a figment of his imagination, maybe. The book has an ending that is open to interpretation by the readers, with both points of views being plausible. This book greatly helped Martel excel in his career, with the book earning many awards and even eventually becoming a movie directed by Ang Lee. Martel has gone on to write some other novels and short stories, but they have not lived up to the hype of Life of Pi. His most recent piece is The High Mountains of Portugal in 2016. Currently, he is working on his next Novel which is said to be released in 2026, called Son of Nobody. He also helps produce and judge an award called The Next Big Story. 

Inspirations

In his life, Martel has had a lot of influences that caused him to become the writer he is today. Firstly, his parents played a huge role. His father had a background in English and poetry, so he took after him at times. Seeing his father always writing and producing his own pieces before becoming a foreign affairs worker caused Martel to develop a liking for literature as a whole. According to Martel himself, his favorite book growing up was Le Petit Chose by Alphonse Daudet. He loved this book because he says it was the first time reading a book that brought him real tears and emotions. This spark was a reason why he writes about emotional and philosophical character and plots rather than just action. Martel also has a number of writers he looked up to from a young age, including Sinclair Lewis and Franz Kafka, who were major writers during their times in the early 1900s. Finally and arguably the most important influence in his life was his traveling. Martel’s constant separation from his birthplace caused him to see many different cultures and religions. In India, he took inspiration from the locals regarding their religion. In his books, religion and faith are huge parts, even in Life of Pi and The High Mountains of Portugal. Without these visits to different places, Yann may never have such an attachment to religion and thus never write his most popular novels.

Awards and Accomplishments

Finally, Yann Martel’s awards have stacked up over the years that I honestly am not sure where he keeps all his plaques and medals. His most major book, Life of Pi, most importantly won the New York Times Best Seller award and many other awards including the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and the Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is one of the most prestigious awards an author can receive, since it is a major international award and arguably a top 5 literary award. The Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and the other awards for Life of Pi are more national and less recognizable, but still greatly impressive for one book. His other novels such as Beatrice and Virgil and The High Mountain of Portugal have gained tons of recognition throughout the world, just not quite on the level of Life of Pi. Having won the Man Booker Prize, Yann Martel will forever have his name be remembered and go down in history as a very significant and influential writer, even before retiring.