Yann Martel

Early life

Born in 1963 in Salamanca, Spain, Yann Martel is the child of French-Canadian students Émile Martel and Nicole Perron. While at the University of Salamanca, Nicole pursued Hispanic studies, and Émile was engrossed in a PhD centered on the writings of the famed Spanish author, Miguel de Unamuno. Not long after Martel’s birth, the family relocated to Coimbra, Portugal, followed by moves to Madrid, Spain, and then to Fairbanks, Alaska. Eventually, they settled in Victoria, British Columbia, where Émile took up teaching roles at the Universities of Alaska and Victoria.

With his parents venturing into the Canadian foreign service, Martel’s upbringing was a tapestry of cultures and countries. He spent significant portions of his childhood in places like San José, Costa Rica, Paris, France, and Madrid, Spain. Interspersed with these international stays were periods in Ottawa, Ontario. His high school education culminated at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario. Subsequently, he pursued and attained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.

As he transitioned into adulthood, Martel juggled various jobs. His roles ranged from overseeing a parking lot in Ottawa and washing dishes in a tree-planting camp in northern Ontario to ensuring security at the Canadian embassy in Paris. Beyond work, he was bitten by the travel bug, journeying through diverse lands such as Mexico, South America, Iran, Turkey, and India. University was where his inclination for writing blossomed, although he candidly admits his early plays and short stories were marred by naivety and lack of refinement.

In 2003, Martel, accompanied by Kuipers, chose Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, as their new home.

Career

Yann Martel’s literary introduction was in 1988 when “Mister Ali and the Barrelmaker” was published in The Malahat Review. This journal also published another of his stories, “The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios,” in 1990, which earned him the 1991 Journey Prize and a feature in the 1991–1992 Pushcart Prize Anthology. In 1992, The Malahat Review showcased “The Time I Heard the Private Donald J. Rankin String Concerto with One Discordant Violin, by the American Composer John Morton”, garnering him a National Magazine Award. The magazine Border Crossings featured “Industrial Grandeur” in 1993. Additionally, an Ottawa bookstore spotlighted Martel that year by releasing a limited, handcrafted edition titled “Seven Stories.”

Martel acknowledges The Canada Council for the Arts as pivotal in his journey, receiving grants from them in 1991 and 1997. In “Life of Pi,” he expressed gratitude, highlighting the importance of supporting artists for a vibrant imagination.

In 1993, Knopf Canada bundled four of his tales, with “The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios” leading the title and released them in several countries. Martel’s debut novel, “Self,” launched in 1996 in multiple nations. His second novel, “Life of Pi”, released on September 11, 2001, won the Man Booker Prize in 2002 and featured for 61 weeks on The New York Times Bestseller List. This work was partly inspired by a review of Brazilian author Moacyr Scliar’s “Max and the Cats.”

CBC Radio’s 2003 Canada Reads competition spotlighted “Life of Pi,” and its French translation got attention in Le combat des livres in 2004.

Martel’s contributions spanned academia and collaboration with other artists. He served as a visiting professor in Berlin in 2002, and later, as a writer-in-residence in Saskatoon in 2003. He partnered with composer Omar Daniel on a musical piece in Toronto.

Between 2005 and 2007, Martel held the title of visiting scholar at the University of Saskatchewan. His third novel, “Beatrice and Virgil”, debuted in 2010, offering an imaginative take on the Holocaust.

Martel initiated a unique book club with Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, from 2007 to 2011, sharing over a hundred varied literary works. This initiative was transformed into a published book, “101 Letters to a Prime Minister,” in 2012.

Recognizing his contributions, the Royal Society of Literature inducted Martel as a Fellow in 2014. He also contributed as a Governor for the Saskatoon Public Library between 2010 and 2015.

“The High Mountains of Portugal”, his fourth novel, was released in February 2016. Within its first month, the book earned a spot on The New York Times Bestseller list.

Published Works:

• Seven Stories (1993)
• The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios (Collection of four short stories, including the title story) (1993)
• Self (1996)
• Life of Pi (2001)
• We Ate the Children Last (Short story) (2004)
• Beatrice and Virgil (2010)
• 101 Letters to a Prime Minister: The Complete Letters to Stephen Harper (2012)
• The first 55 book suggestions are available as What is Stephen Harper Reading? (2009)
• The High Mountains of Portugal (2016)

Net Worth

As of 2023, Martel’s net worth is an estimated $5 million.

Achievement

Martel’s literary prowess has been recognized with various awards and honors:

Man Booker Prize for Fiction (2002) for "Life of Pi".

Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction (2001) for "Life of Pi".

Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature (2001-2002) for "Life of Pi".

Furthermore, “Life of Pi” was shortlisted for notable awards like the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. Beyond these tangible accolades, Martel’s true achievement lies in his ability to spark profound discussions about faith, survival, and the essence of storytelling.