Dear Mr Martel
JA
March 14
Barack Obama is a fan of Yann Martel. The Life of Pi author recently received this handwritten note from the President after he finished reading the novel with his daughter.
Martel, who has for around three years now been sending books to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper every two weeks to get him to change his mind about the arts and its funding, was understandably chuffed:
What amazes me is the gratuity of it. As you would know, there is a large measure of calculation in what public figures do. But here, what does he gain? I'm not a US citizen. In no way can I be of help to President Obama. Clearly he did it for personal reasons, as a reader and as a father. And in two lines, what an insightful analysis of Life of Pi. Bless him, bless him ... The President of the United States wrote to me — to me! For sure I'm going to have the note framed. If there was a way of tattooing it on my back, I would.
Martel has also announced that he’s taking a break from his What is Stephen Harper Reading project to tour with his new novel Beatrice and Virgil, which, according to the Guardian is ‘a dark allegory starring a donkey and a howler monkey’. It’s out in Australia through Text in April. Have a read here for more.
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