Yann Martel is a Canadian writer, the author of a collection of short stories, The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios; a compilation of letters, 101 Letters to a Prime Minister, in which he encouraged former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to read; and four novels, Self, Life of Pi, Beatrice and Virgil, and The High Mountains of Portugal.

Life of Pi, an international bestseller,was published in more than 50 languages, has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, and spent more than a year on the New York Times Bestseller list. It won Martel the 2002 Man Booker Prize, besides other awards. The novel was adapted to the silver screen by Ang Lee, garnering four Oscars, and to the stage in a production that premiered in London's West End, moved to Broadway, then toured the world.

Martel is a Companion of the Order of Canada. His fifth novel, Son of Nobody, inspired by Homer’s Iliad and the Trojan War, came out in March, 2026. He lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with the writer Alice Kuipers and their four children.