Photo: Shane Lin from Seattle, WA, USA, aka 'About Malenkov in Exile' on Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.5 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What fascinates me about Yann Martel is the unlikely arc: born in Salamanca, Spain, he became one of Canada's most celebrated authors. Life of Pi could have been a gimmick, a boy and a tiger on a lifeboat, but Martel turned it into a serious meditation on faith and the stories we choose to believe. Winning the Booker and selling over twelve million copies proves the public has more appetite for big questions than cynics assume. I admire writers who pose questions quietly rather than shouting answers, and Martel is firmly in that camp for me.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Yann Martel
- Name (Japanese)
- ヤン・マーテル
- Reading
- やん・まーてる
- Born
- June 25, 1963 (age 63)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Rabbit
- Origin
- Salamanca, Province of Salamanca, Spain
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- writer / novelist / screenwriter / prose writer / short story writer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Trent University
Awards & achievements
- 2002 Booker Prize
- 2014 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- 2003 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature
- Companion of the Order of Canada
- 1991 Journey Prize
- 2004 Goncourt des animaux
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Life of Pi | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Yann Martel born?
Born June 25, 1963 (age 63).
Where is Yann Martel from?
Yann Martel is from Salamanca, Province of Salamanca, Spain.
What does Yann Martel do?
Yann Martel works as writer, novelist, screenwriter, prose writer, short story writer.
What is Yann Martel known for?
Notable works include Life of Pi.
Writer — see all → · Novelist — see all → · More people from Spain →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.