subject: Peek into the Mind of Yann Martel [print this page] Peek into the Mind of Yann Martel Peek into the Mind of Yann Martel
Yann Martel was an erstwhile ruler of the bestseller lists throughout the world when he wrote the Life of Pi, and his next effort in the form of Beatrice and Virgil is no less talked about. During an interview with a journalist, he showed his taste for anything exotic in his simple life, and was proud that his lifestyle was still simple enough and that he still drove a Honda.
Backpacker before the Fame Struck
He has all that he needs, though he was only a backpacker before he became famous. He enjoys his life with a wife and son (only ten months old now), and then he has an extended family of fans and followers. His book on The Life of Pi still draws reactions from all over the world, though most of his fans are in America. He believes Americans have many flaws, but he just loves their earnestness and extreme friendliness. He also received a letter from Barack Obama, saying he liked the book. Yann Martel calls this an American trait, as the guy (the president, in Yann Martel's words) read the book with his daughter, liked it and wrote to the author.
Reactions for the First Book Still Pouring In
People often write to him to confirm they too are interested in religion or animals, which is only natural, after all the first book from him, The Life of Pi, was an account of a young Indian boy who was stranded on a lifeboat with a tiger. People felt inspired after reading the book. Some were going through a horrible divorce, prison sentence or things that were worse. They related to the confinement of Pi with something dangerous and they also felt inspired to overcome their problems.
The Reviews Have Been Scathing
The new book from the author Beatrice and Virgil has been released after some struggle since he was suffering from writer's block. The reviews have been scathing and have also been termed as perverse, pretentious, offensive, and misguided and a lot more, though other reviews say may be the book is a masterpiece. The scene in the UK is not much different either. The big question still remains, will it sell as much as the first book from the author sold? Yann Martel is not much concerned about the sale, though. He says only those reviews which hurt him are the ones that pick up genuine flaws in the book.
Holocaust Deserves More Than Just Analysis
Yann Martel says he wrote the book because he thought holocaust deserved something more than just analysis or memoir. He prefers animals as the characters since people are cynical of fellow humans as a species whereas they see the animals differently. He further says he doesn't think use of monkey and donkey in the book Beatrice and Virgil trivialize the issue being talked about, the holocaust.
