Yann Martel is a Canadian author renowned for his novel Life of Pi, which won the Man Booker Prize. This international bestseller has been published in over 50 territories, selling more than 12 million copies globally. It remained on the bestseller lists of The New York Times and The Globe and Mail for over a year. The novel was adapted into a film directed by Ang Lee, which earned four Oscars, including Best Director, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.

In addition to Life of Pi, Martel has authored other novels such as The High Mountains of Portugal, Beatrice and Virgil, and Self. He has also published a collection of stories titled The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios and a collection of letters called 101 Letters to a Prime Minister. His accolades include the 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and the 2002 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.

Martel resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with fellow writer Alice Kuipers and their four children. Although his first language is French, Martel writes in English.