Yann Martel was born June 25, 1963. He is a Spanish-born Canadian author best known for the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Life of Pi. Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain. As an adolescent he attended high school at Trinity College School, a boarding school in Port Hope, Ontario. He grew up in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada. As an adult, Martel has spent time in Iran, Turkey and India. After studying philosophy at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Martel spent 13 months in India visiting temples, churches, mosques and zoos, and then two years reading religious texts and castaway stories.In November 2005, the University of Saskatchewan announced that Martel would be scholar-in-residence. He continues to have an office at the University.
