Yann Martel Research Paper
It is not often that an author can write great stories about different locations with philosophical meanings. Yann Martel was a traveler who used his experiences as inspiration to write his famous novels and short stories. Books like Life of Pi, The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, and The High Mountains of Portugal: A Novel are all allegorical novels by the author, Martel set in different places of the world. Martel used his knowledge of travel and philosophy to forge such stories. Yann Martel’s life, career, and other intriguing information about him all have made him the award winning author he is today.
Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain on June 25th, 1963 ("Yann Martel Biography - eNotes.com"). He is the son of Nicole Perron and Émile Martel. Seeing as his father was a diplomat and both his parents were a part of the Canadian foreign service, he traveled a lot as a child (Hunter). Yann Martel had lived in Costa Rica, …show more content…
Martel’s very first book was The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, published in 1993. The book contained different short stories. One of the most known stories was titled The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios. It was about two young friends struggling with the AIDS virus, it was later made into a movie (Hunter). Most of Martel’s writing had deeper meanings behind them. For example, on the surface, Life of Pi may seem like a story about a boy surviving at sea with a tiger, but it is actually about a boy’s spiritual journey ("The Empathetic Imagination"). Martel is also well known for bringing his personal life into his stories. For example, in his novel Self, about gender identity and living in a world governed by social boundaries. Author Martel said he wrote this when he was struggling with being a sexist. After taking a feminism 101 class, he realized he had to change his ways and wrote this novel to explore the ideas of gender identity (Guide to Literary
Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain on June 25th, 1963 ("Yann Martel Biography - eNotes.com"). He is the son of Nicole Perron and Émile Martel. Seeing as his father was a diplomat and both his parents were a part of the Canadian foreign service, he traveled a lot as a child (Hunter). Yann Martel had lived in Costa Rica, …show more content…
Martel’s very first book was The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, published in 1993. The book contained different short stories. One of the most known stories was titled The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios. It was about two young friends struggling with the AIDS virus, it was later made into a movie (Hunter). Most of Martel’s writing had deeper meanings behind them. For example, on the surface, Life of Pi may seem like a story about a boy surviving at sea with a tiger, but it is actually about a boy’s spiritual journey ("The Empathetic Imagination"). Martel is also well known for bringing his personal life into his stories. For example, in his novel Self, about gender identity and living in a world governed by social boundaries. Author Martel said he wrote this when he was struggling with being a sexist. After taking a feminism 101 class, he realized he had to change his ways and wrote this novel to explore the ideas of gender identity (Guide to Literary