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Sunday, March 29, 2020
Martel Zoom—due April 1 by 11:00 p.m.
Write about our Zoom chat with Yann Martel. Extra credit for attending & writing.
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It was an amazing opportunity to hear Yann Martel speak to us about his novels. It is good to get to hear the point of view about a book of the person who wrote the books. I felt like we were not really asking the correct questions, we would ask a question and he would turn the question towards religion or the holocaust. I think that those were the topics that he wanted to talk about. We might have been delving too deep into smaller details. I didn't know about the parallels between Life of Pi and Edgar Allen Po's novel. I have always struggled with writing because I am trying to create completely original work but I didn't think that even famous authors can use information or themes from other works. I noticed that Yann Martel is extremely observant, he noticed not just questions but the backgrounds of everyone who asked a question and he managed to remember details from several years ago. He also seemed to be a wealth of knowledge and very cultured. I'm sure that both his observational prowess and the cultural experience from his travels attributed to his success as an author. It was interesting that self was so prevalent in his life even though it's not as famous.
Over the past several weeks, I have had the opportunity to study two distinct novels: Life of Pi and Beatrice of Virgil. I thoroughly enjoyed reading both of these books and yearned for the opportunity to learn about the process behind their composition. Thus, today’s meeting provided the in-depth look into author Yann Martel that I was looking for. I was intrigued to learn that Martel did not intend for his novels to be very autobiographical. Instead, he claimed to have only included small snippets of his life during character development. Other than basing his author’s note in Life of Pi on a real meeting he had in Pondicherry, the majority of Martel’s characters were completely invented. This is very surprising given the character depth and realism found within his novels. However, he did admit that there are some similarities between him and Beatrice and Virgil’s protagonist Henry. Both Martel and Henry are fairly successful authors who receive many letters from their readers and wanted to construct a novel that helped propose a new way to talk about the Holocaust. I was surprised to learn that the flipbook mentioned in Beatrice and Virgil was actually real and that Martel regrets listening to his editors and changing his novel’s structure. Perhaps following through with his intuition would have brought him even greater success. Instead of basing the majority of his novel’s contents on personal experiences, Martel claims that curiosity is what drove him to write. He wrote Life of Pi because of a curiosity about religion, especially after witnessing its high placement within Indian culture. He wrote Beatrice and Virgil because of a curiosity about the Holocaust and a wonderment about how to present it in a new light. He then spent years pursuing his curiosity deeply through research and implemented this research into his writing. For example, Richard Parker in Life of Pi got his name from a character in a similar-themed novel by Edgar Allen Poe. In essence, every word of Yann Martel’s novels was deliberately filled with facts in order to make his plots as believable as possible. He seeks to place his reader within the setting of his books without them having to have any prior knowledge on the subject matter and inform them through experiences. I can think of no better way to learn. In the end, Yann Martell is clearly a master at his craft. I am incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to learn from him today and cannot wait to read the next novel he provides.
It was a great experience to hear Yann martel speak to us and answer questions about both of the novels we have read that he has written. I found the inspiration question to be the most interesting out of all along with the question about the pear. It also seemed as though he wanted to be there as well due to the things he noticed about those whose cameras were on. The only part of the whole thing that I personally wish was left out was the political commentary. Overall, it was a fun time and worth the hour out of my day.
Over the past few months, I have had the chance to analyze the works of award-winning author Yann Martel. Of course, such well-written novels can easily portray the personality and emotions of the author who wrote them. However, they don’t always give the full picture. Through this Zoom chat, I have had the chance to see into the mind of Yann Martel; how he develops his novels and what his intentions actually are. From the moment the call began, I noticed his kind, brilliant personality. He thoroughly answered all questions and made sure to acknowledge the students who asked them. Soon after, he introduced us to his prime motivation for writing: curiosity. It is this curiosity that led him to the Holocaust in Beatrice and Virgil, and it is this same concept that leads him to all his creations. Indeed, it is exactly because of this curiosity that Martel is willing to spend years researching and editing in order to create a polished product. From there, he discussed his symbolism; what his intentions were for many aspects of his novels. Whether it be Beatrice the donkey’s portrayal of the oppressed Jewish population or the use of Games for Gustav to represent the tragedy of the Holocaust, Martel uses relatable aspects of real-life to convey a broader message through fiction. These references are often supported by previous literary works—as is the case for Richard Parker in Life of Pi and his relation to previous stories about shipwreck survivors—and are written in such a way to have a huge impact on the reader. Finally, I learned about Yann Martel as a person. He explained the pleasure he got out of writing and his feelings on the importance of religion and reading. In the end, I left this zoom call with a new understanding of Yann Martel and all authors in general. I now know that every book that is written is written for a reason, and I can’t wait to continue exploring literature in the years ahead.
I thought it was really cool to be able to sit in my bed and watch and listen to such an amazing, influential writer. I think one of the things that stood out to me most was when he was talking about Virgil and Beatrice and he said, "war is something we can play with. A child can flay war with his or her friends." I think this statement is true, as my friends and I used to play war when we were little. GHe was comparing war to the holocaust; war is something we can understand, something e can wrap our heads around and play with, whereas the Holocaust is not something we totally understand. It would be boring to sit in your backyard on a summer day when you are 9 years old and pretend to throw someone into a gas chamber. No child wants to play holocaust.... Another thing I thought was really cool was how he told us about a book he was working on and was almost done with. I might consider reading the book next year if I am bored in my dorm room. The fact that he cut over 30,000 words really stood out to me; applying for scholarships and writing essay after essay, I know how much it can suck to cut out a big section, so I can only imagine what it felt like cutting 30,000 words. It was also very intriguing that he read an entire book to write three paragraphs about, and he ended up cutting out those three paragraphs.
I really enjoyed listening to Martel and what he had to say. I found it interesting that he wanted to write about topics that interested him and made him curious, and not what he thought his audience would enjoy. Being able to hear from his point of view on what he has written was very intriguing and quite fascinating. He would relate a number of questions to the holocaust and religion and I believe those certain things are what he was interested or curious about when writing his books. I overall was interested in how he researches and travels to find some things that inspire him or make him curious, like how he went to India for example and studied the people, the religion, the way of life, etc.
Being able to have an interview session with Yann Martel himself was really eye-opening and informative. I was able to learn a lot more about the intentions and thoughts behind each of his novels. I really enjoyed being able to ask my own question that I have been wondering while reading Beatrice and Virgil. One of the most informing things that I learned was that Yann Martel writes a lot based on what intrigues him. Even if he is not writing based on his specific life experiences, he is still writing about things that he is curious about. The whole discussion about how he wrote Life of Pi because he was fascinated by the different religions was very informative. The question I asked about if he bases some of the characteristics of Henry on himself was enlightening. It is cool to know that the fan mail and letters he gets served as an inspiration for a part of his novel. Getting a response on him inserting himself into the novel is quite reassuring to hear after wondering if he really did or not. Hearing the story about how his editors did not like his idea of a flipbook was quite interesting because he ended up using that in his novel Beatrice and Virgil.
Hearing from Yann Martel was a great opportunity and I loved learning new things. Before the call, I had no idea that Martel was not from a religious background. He was curious about how people could believe in something where there was no evident proof. I found this really interesting due to religion having a large role in Life of Pi. Another thing I enjoyed was hearing was his take on the reason he chose a pear in Beatrice and Virgil instead of another type of fruit. The way he described the fruit was all true, but I had never thought about it in that way. People know what pear is but it combines both the familiar and unfamiliar traits we have come to know. A third thing that I found cool was how a tiger was not the first animal Martel was planning on using in Life of Pi. He had an Indian Elephant but that became too comical and a rhinoceros but that was a herbivore. A fact that I had not even taken into consideration until today. One comment that Martel made that really made me ponder was why do people feel nervous about talking about the Holocaust and not about a war when more people have died in those wars. I completely agree with this statement he made and he brings up a good point. Why do we feel anxious when speaking about the Holocaust. Who's to know... Listening to Yann Martel was a great experience and I will hold onto the knowledge from today for a long time.
I don't exactly know what I was expecting of Yann Martel going into the Zoom meeting, but his presence and demeanor were very surprising to me. Inherently and visually, he seemed like just a regular guy, but a couple sentences in I could tell that he has reached a different capacity than the average person will ever reach. He knows something about everything and still seems curious about learning more and stretching himself. As someone who has always been interested in history and is planning on studying it next year, I was super impressed with the fine details he could just rattle off about different eras of war or human nature. Mr. Martel offered me a different perspective on the Holocaust; and though he didn't directly live through the genocide, he seemed to be very familiar with the many facets of WWII-- as if his research has allowed him to live vicariously through his characters and figures in history. Selfishly, I was also surprised that someone of his caliber and celebrity didn't have a flashy thing in his possession.
I thought our zoom chat with Yann Martel was very interesting! I enjoyed getting to listen to his motives for writing and where he found inspiration. I was not able to hear him for some reason for the first six questions and had to switch between 4 devices so I wish I could have experienced the answers to the other questions but overall I thought what I heard was very informative! I thought him explaining how "artists" start-up was very interesting and I found the inspiration story for Life of Pi was also interesting. I was surprised when he said he travels a lot and that helped him write the story. I was also surprised when he said that he considered an Indian elephant over a tiger as the animal that was with Pi in the boat. I figured a tiger was his first choice for an animal that Pi cannot ignore. I thought our questions were very good ones to ask and I believe that he was really happy to speak with us for the duration of the call.
During the Zoom call with Yann Martel, I learned so much insight and information about himself and his works. He talked to us about how characters rarely develop from details in his personal life, but more from his research—how Richard Parker was the name of three different characters in different works he researched to prepare Life of Pi. I learned that the FlipBook in Beatrice & Virgil was actually his first draft of that book. Learning that the reason for the use of pear instead of an apple or a banana was to show a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar and the beauty in that fruit really showed me how something can be so rare but so known at the same time. This also happened with Martel telling us how he chose the tiger for Richard Parker instead of an Indian Elephant or a Highland Rhinocerous—knowing what they are but not knowing anything about them. All in all, the interview with Mr. Yann Martel was a wonderful, educational, learning experience for myself (and I'm sure for my classmates, as well). The word 'Curiosity' definitely defines Mr. Yann Martel and his way of diving into researching and composing.
To be able to listen and gain knowledge face to face with this incredible author was a great privilege. It was intriguing to hear the thinking that went behind "Life of Pi" and "Beatrice and Virgil." Like Yann Martel, I am also intrigued by the Holocaust. Hearing how he views the Holocaust as your favorite song you have heard 350 times did make sense. So many stories about the Holocaust has been written in the view of the Jews or Nazi soldiers. These narratives do leave a lasting impression, but with Martel's intelligence, it displays these stories in a different light. From Martel explaining this different method, I discovered new symbols and allegories he had made. This includes how Virgil symbolizes communism due to his red fur and clever personality. Additionally, the use of a donkey to represent the clever and stubbornness that Jews have the reputation of. I do agree with him that he should have stuck with the flip-book design for "Beatrice and Virgil." The design would inspire other authors to do the same since his books are quite inspiring. I find it very captivating the amount of work, patience, and research he did to create his books. I did not know the extent of work put into writing a book since I do not know an author on a personal level. I knew it was a copious amount of effort to accomplish, but after hearing him cut 31,000 words it is astonishing how much a story can be shortened to. Imagine if "Beatrice and Virgil" had 31,000 words added to it. The theme and the story behind the novel would completely change. After being able to read both books we have read in class, it urges me to read his other novels. For example, the book he is very fond of, "Self." I also am excited to see his progress in his new book and see how well it does.
What an interesting experience!!!!! Talking/listening to the author of a novel that I enjoy is a once in a lifetime experience. It certainly is not something that would happen often. Yann also just seemed very kind, especially to take time out of his life to answer questions from a school in South Dakota. Based on the questions that were asked, it's very intriguing how deep some aspects of his novel are, or more specifically how some parts are rooted and based on some of his experiences. I think it's interesting how much he travels. It makes sense looking back on it now, but I had never thought about how that could be the inspiration behind a novel. I had never thought about the inspiration behind Life of Pi, and it was really cool to listen to how he described India and its cultures. Also, how the animals provide extra levels of meaning in his novel beyond what we initially think, which is amazing. For instance, how the howler monkey is a loud animal and he wanted the animal used to portray the Holocaust to be loud and to howl; I just thought it was really cool. I just thought every point he made about his novels was very interesting and it definitely opened my eyes to different aspects in his novels. This was an amazing experience.
This was a really cool opportunity to be apart of. I love to see Yann Martel's viewpoint on everything he has written over several years. I think that he had very intellectual answers that made me think more about what I/my fellow classmates had asked. My favorite part of the whole zoom meeting was when he mentioned why he used animals besides people. He said that we tend to look at nature with a sense of marvel and so he didn't want his readers to create notions about that person. I honestly believe in this because I feel that if he started the story with the people instead of the animals in Life of Pi, we would have all been biased and made notions over each individual. Since he wrote about the animals, we all marveled at the story and didn't put too much thought into it.
Having the opportunity to speak with Yann Martel was indescribable and rather incredible. It was quite fascinating to hear about an author speak on the behalf of his novels, famous or simply personal. I concluded from his writing that every word meant something and held a purpose. I received confirmation today when listening about him having to splice words out of the book, or how they later resonated with him and helped him shape yet another book on an interesting topic of war, personal struggles, or self-realization. I am pleased with given the chance to read two of his most known novels: Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil. I cannot deny the fact that I will continue reading his novels in the future. I am most surprised by his responses to each student's question. He answered them with full knowledge of each subject and had no hesitation to throw in his own personal views, something I love hearing when talking with an intelligent mind. I hope to speak with him again, whether that's through online meetings or writing a letter. His words and intellect had a strong impact on my life and was refreshing to hear the steps taken to construct the novel that will forever leave a mind searching and wanting for more.
Listening to an author answer questions about their books is an amazing experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to get to do so with Yann Martel. He is a brilliant person with a lot of creativity and curiosity. He said all his inspiration for his novels come from being curious about certain subjects. For example, Life of Pi was written because he was interested in traveling and religion, and Beatrice and Virgil was written because he was interested in the Holocaust and different ways of portraying it. The connections Martel makes with his novels to real life are brilliant and subtle. The name of Richard Parker is loosely based on a real life story and a novel by Edgar Allan Poe. In Beatrice and Virgil, Henry's pets, Erasmus and Mendehlson, are based on European success. It was very interesting to hear the journey of the animal Martel wanted to use for Life of Pi. I never would have guessed that he didn't start out with the idea of a tiger. His first idea was of an elephant, then a rhino, and a lot of other animals. One last thing was the struggles Martel sometimes faces as an author. Towards the end of the meeting, he said something about reading an entire book to do research for three chapters of a book that he ended up cutting. I can't imagine what it would feel like to put forth that much effort only to delete it later. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience of meeting with Yann Martel and learning a bit more about his novels and him as a person.
It was incredible getting to listen to the reason and logic of Yann Martel as he answered our questions and shared his experiences through writing. The first topic that I loved from this discussion was how curiosity is truly the root of all his stories and motives. This same curiosity is what drove him to write Life of Pi and focus it around an open religion like Hinduism. Every one of his stories comes from a point in his life where something intrigued him to find out more. I loved how he used the connection of learning about the Holocaust to listening to one's favorite song. After hearing about it so many times, we begin to not truly listen anymore. It was interesting to see him compare how we portray war both bad and good. However, a tragedy like the Holocaust if portrayed in any other form (Beatrice and Virgil) is trivializing it. It is incredibly unique how he tries to pick objects that people either know only the principle of what it is about or hold no biases towards. For example, the pear is a fruit that never comes first in one's mind and is always hard to get just right. Also, animals being go-to characters for him based on not having to worry about the prejudices that people often hold against fellow humans. Finally, you could tell how much time, knowledge, and research he puts into every one of his novels. I believe that is why all his creations succeed in leaving readers in awe and with a new view on something.
Hearing from Yann Martel was an amazing experience. I never thought I would be able to hear from a person whose book I have read. It was interesting to hear the questions that people asked, and it was also interesting to hear what Martel had to say. He had great answers to all of the questions and I got some questions answers that I had to his books. I like how he answered all of his questions with facts that he has researched. For example, he was wondering about religion so he researched it and ended up writing a book about it. It also interested me on why he picked Richard Parker's name and why he picked a tiger. It would've been interesting to see an elephant or a gorila on a lifeboat. It amazed me how he cut 30,000 words from his book and he still has 300 some pages. 30,000 words is a lot to read and he cut it from one of his books. I think that this interview with Yann Martel went very well and I learned a lot from him.
I loved the zoom meeting with Yann Martel. The way he talks and his presences (even through a screen) was inspiring. My favorite part was when he talked about Life of Pi and what different animals he was going to use instead of a tiger. An elephant, a rhino, a gorilla would have had a total different outlook than a tiger. I am so glad that he picked the tiger. Like he said once you start to create a character you tend to really like them and are drawn in by them. Richard Parker in Life of Pi was one of my favorite characters and I could not image a different animal in his place. I am inspired to read his other books like High Mountains of Portugal and Self. I also can not wait to read his newest novel on the Trojan War.
Wow! What an amazing experience it was being able to speak with Yann Martel via Zoom. He provided in-depth reasoning for each question and went above and beyond each as well. I had the opportunity to ask him the question of why he chose a pear instead of any other type of fruit. He said that he wanted the fruit to be something that was familiar but also unfamiliar at the same time (a pear is somewhat unique). He wanted the characters to know what it was but not exactly what it tasted like and felt like, therefore the description of 7 pages. The same goes for other books of his, he wanted the animal in Life of Pi to relate to this somehow but could not find an animal that fit the familiarity and unfamiliarity that also was a fierce predator. The most interesting thing I thought was the constant revising of his books. He just cut 31,000+ words from his newest book and is constantly writing drafts, revising, and even looking at the deleted words. Overall, it was a fun experience that provided a real insight to me as to what an author does and why Martel did the things he did.
Listening to Yann Martel speak and answer our questions in real-time was a cool and unique experience in my eyes. To hear the method behind the madness (not that Martel's work is madness) put me in a state of awe. His writing process is so intricate and extensive so that it all works together so perfectly in the end. When Martel mentioned how he had scratched 30,000 words from his latest novel, my mind was blown. He is a true master of literature. On the flip side, it was nice to see how Martel is also human, like you and me. We received a glimpse into his life; he has a wife and four kids, a college degree, and a love for traveling. There is indeed a real person behind these great literary feats. Sometimes when reading, I forget that someone wrote this with a lot of hard work, and that it's not simply a robot who eats, sleeps, and breathing writing. Overall, I learned a great deal about both Martel and his works from our Zoom meeting with Yann Martel.
Being able to speak with Yann Martel was an amazing experience and something I will never forget. I really enjoyed getting insight into his mind and the influence of that in his writing. For example, I learned that he does not include much of his personal life in the books, but it really does seem like he does. However, he did say that the idea of the flipbook for Beatrice and Virgil was true. Along with this, he does not use people he knows as characters in his novels very much. I also learned that he is inspired and chooses what to write about based on his many travel experiences and what interests him. An example of this is he did not grow up very religious, so, in Life of Pi, he wrote a lot about religion because it was something that intrigued him. It was also something that he did not know much about. What I found most interesting is that his favorite book he wrote was Self. It seems like a very interesting book. I was also surprised when he told us he cut about 30,000 words from the new novel he is writing. He said he did a lot of reading and research so having to take parts out after so much work was very difficult. Overall, zooming with him was very fun and helped me learn a lot about his novels.
Yann Martel is definitely a character and so brilliant that I really enjoyed listening to him today. Martel’s answers really surprised me and I could’ve asked him a hundred more questions. The biggest surprise to me was how he wasn’t very religious, yet one of his books involves a lot of religious material. He explained how much research it took and how interested he was in the religions he studied. I have to say he definitely knows a lot about what he writes; he even mentioned reading a whole book just to write a page. I was also shocked when he said he doesn’t really use himself in his novels, yet we still see it a few times. When asking questions, he sometimes avoids answers leaving us to think about what we want which I liked because as readers we don’t need to know every answer. I was nervous to ask a question, but I’m glad I did because I actually got to interact with Yann. When writing my essays I feel like I have to constantly cut words out causing me to have to rewrite, but knowing an author cuts over 31,000 words after their first draft helps me to feel better about rewriting my papers. Yann told us a lot about himself and his childhood which helps us be able to relate to him as a human. I enjoy both books even more now that I know the mastermind behind them. Yann is a great guy and had amazing answers to give to us on zoom. The meeting with Martel was definitely an effective tool for us students to learn from and a great experience for us all.
I found it to be very compelling that Yann Martel likes looking outward instead of inward when he writes. I believed many of his characters and ideas were based out of his own life, so this is almost the opposite of what I thought. He projects not himself, but his curiosity. Martel also talked about his developmental process when writing, and I believe it is a solid, effective one to follow. First, he decides on the thematic ideas and concerns for his writing to be about. This is also my first step, because the message that sticks with the reader is the most vital. He follows with the story, and then decides how his characters will be developed. Having this chance to chat with Yann Martel not only allowed me insight into an author's life, but actually inspired me as a writer. When he explained that we need to talk about things in a different way, I resonated with that. I am all about standing from multiple perspectives, and what sparks an understanding in one person may be entirely different than for another person. I admire how he accepts readers' different interpretations of his writing, and takes time to get to know how his writing ties into their life. For example, Martel shared that in different letters, reader spoke about Richard Parker being their cancer or their past trauma. This definitely was a beneficial experienced and provided me new ideas about what it means to compose and to be an author.
Yann Martel is a really nice and cool guy. I think it's pretty cool that I was able to talk to the author of Life of Pi which is a popular book and movie. I never thought I would be interested in talking to a famous author but he was an interesting guy to listen to. He has some very interesting thoughts and motivations behind what he writes. One interesting thing I took away from listening to Martel was him talking about the Holocaust and war. He said that wars are easy for people to talk about and kids even use their imaginations to play "war" even though some wars have killed more people than even the Holocaust. He said that the Holocaust intrigues him because it's awkward to handle which is very true. He said there is a nervousness around the Holocaust which makes it harder to talk about whereas people don't feel that way about wars and I think that is a very interesting and true point. This helps me understand Beatrice and Virgil a little bit better and why he wrote about what he did.
It was a great opportunity to watch and listen to Yann Martel speak to us today. As I had imagined, he was full of great wisdom and was not shy to answer any questions we had. The question I was most surprised to hear his answer to was how and when he decides to emerge himself in his novels. His answer was that he rarely ever involves himself in his writing. He doesn't write to look on the inside and focus on himself, rather because he is curious about new things and wants to know more. It is very generous of him to communicate with our classes and take time out of his day to chat with us and give us some more insight about him. After finishing the two novels, Life of Pi, and Beatrice and Virgil, it is clear to see that he has had a lot of experiences to get him where he is today and he is a great writer. His novels had me locked in the whole time and I did not want to stop reading. I am very thankful that we were able to zoom with him today given the situation that we are not physically in school.
It was interesting to listen to Yann Martel speak about his books and how he developed the characters in them. He gave us an in-depth view of how he developed the characters and where they came from. Being able to ask him one of my own questions was fun because I was able to have one of the things that I found interesting straight from the author instead of just having to speculate about his motives. With this, I was able to get the actual get the correct answer. We also learned that Martel is, in fact, Henry and that the book Beatrice and Virgil is the flipbook that was written in it.
It was super cool to listen to Yann Martel today. I really enjoyed hearing about where he has all travelled and how that has impacted him and his writing. I also liked how each of the answers he gave us very in-depth and detailed. He answered each question perfectly with interesting viewpoints. I have realized that he is a very modest writer and doesn't like to brag about his accomplishments like other successful people do. He even talked about his new book that he is writing and how he deleted so many words. That kind of stuck out to me because it shows that his books are really important to him and he wants them to be perfect for the readers. He knows a lot about what he is writing about due to all the research that he does. I think that shows that he is a very dedicated writer.
I thought it was super fun and cool that we got to talk to Yann Martel today. I liked hearing about how he put together all of his books and the things that made him choose to write the way he did. It was interesting to hear about how he traveled a lot and that was his main motivation for writing the novels, along with curiosity. I thought it was cool how he talked about his new book, getting a glimpse and a little background on that and how he had to read an entire other book just to write one page of his. He is really good at speaking and the words really just flow, so I feel like writing a book for him is very relaxing. The way he talks about his novels shows how dedicated he is about writing, he puts so much research into his books and I think that shows how much he really cares about making his novels the best. I think this was a great opportunity to listen to him today.
It was very enlightening to hear an author talk about their work, having never really listened to an author before. Listening to Martel's thought process when writing a book was simply fascinating. When answering a question Martel always had something to say and would go in-depth and reveal more than what the question asked for. Martel's stories and history behind his inspiration in writing engrossed me as was able to establish his points with relative ease. I felt this meeting with Martel was important in understanding the process an author goes through when composing a novel. Martel saying he scrapped 30,000 words from the novel he is working is a good insight to this process.
Listening to Yann Martel was one of the most interesting things I have ever been lucky enough to be apart of. It was really interesting to listen to how purposefully unpurposeful he was about writing his novels (and get some really great insight into his upcoming novel!). I really liked hearing his reasonings behind certain choices for his novels and admired his attention to details; however, it was also very interesting to hear him talk about how curiosity fueled his novels and how his interests shaped his creative ideas. His knowledge on the topics relevant in his novels is boundless, it seemed like he could have talked about nuances of religions all day. I also enjoyed his appreciative and down-to-earth nature (noticing my cat tree and the weather) and it made me appreciate the fact although he is a famous author, he is also a just a guy who majored in philosophy who let life take him on his path.
Having Yann Martel talk to us was an experience I will not forget. I was very surprised to see how open he was with answering questions and how well he was able to answer them. I was surprised to hear him say that he does not include much of his personal life in his books when he puts himself into his books or at least reveals himself to the reader. I find it interesting after reading the reviews of his book Beatrice and Virgil to see how he believes his book should be interpreted. It was very cool to actually know what he was thinking and him comparing many different events that have resulted in millions of deaths. I found it interesting hearing his thought process behind why the holocaust is looked at in black and white while other events like World Wars and such are looked at as more lighthearted. Maybe it is a thing of respect from most but I do not see any disrespect in his work. After hearing him speak I feel as though I understand Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil quite a bit more because he revealed a lot of the thought behind it and what the reader should be noticing. I also thought it was very interesting when he described his writing process, and the part right at the end when he said he had read an entire book to write a mere 3-4 paragraphs (I think) is astounding to me.
I found it very interesting to sit in on the zoom with Yann Martel. Through the way he answered his questions, I could tell that he is a very educated man and knows what he was writing/talking about. He had many cool stories as to why some of the characters are the way they are like Richard Parker and that was cool to see how he came up with those. I liked it when he talked about the holocaust and how he got judged writing a book about it but if it was about a war it would be criticized differently. After hearing him through the zoom I now know way more about the backgrounds of his novels and the thought process he used to come up with them. Overall I enjoyed the zoom and found it interesting.
I very much enjoyed having the opportunity to listen to Yann Martel and understand what he goes through as he writes a book. I thought it was so interesting that both Life of Pi and the book Beatrice and Virgil were based on Martel's curiosity. For Life of Pi, he was curious about religion when he traveled to India and saw all the different religions. For Beatrice and Virgil, Martel was always curious about the Holocaust as a kid and now curious about how people talk about it. I was also really impressed by how much knowledge Martel has. I felt like every question we asked he would give facts about religions or how he knew all the information about the different Richard Parker stories and just everything he knew from his research to write his book. The last thing I will say is I liked learning how he became an author. To me, one of the coolest things is to learn why someone chooses their path in life. To hear that Yann Martel never really planned to be an author and just loved doing it was so cool for me. I also liked how he was so honest saying his first few short stories and novels sucked, but he loved doing it and that's why he kept doing it. I really enjoyed hearing what he had to say and learning from him.
I was a little bit hesitant before joining the zoom call because I have never talked to someone famous before nor used the app "zoom". After joining I am really glad that I was able to hear a lot about what he has to say. Yann Martel is a highly intelligent man who has acquired so much knowledge through his own personal curiosity. Listening to him describe his reasoning for picking a pear instead of an apple or any other fruit was mind-boggling. I figured he just had a pear lying around and found some metaphors and symbolism. I really appreciated Miles's question about Edgar Allen Poe and some of his only novel inspired a little bit of Yann Martel. Yann Martel is someone who stays true to his values yet keeps an open mind. I want to read his book called "self" and his new book relating to the Trojan war. Another thing I found funny was how he described how he became an author. He basically summarized that authors are just people who never stop playing make-believe. Overall, I am very impressed by this author and I will gladly continue to read his books int he future.
Listening to Yann Martel speak was truly a privilege and an awesome experience to be a part of. He's a very interesting man with lots of engaging stories and information. I feel like Yann could have talked for hours if he was able to. The most interesting thing I thought about when he spoke was the coincidence of Richard Parker and sinking ships. There were 3 separate occasions in history and literature of a person named Richard Parker that was aboard a sinking ship. On another note, I think it's incredible how much he knows about religion even though he grew up without religion. Especially in Life of Pi, he wrote countless pages about different gods and religious references that went right over my head. Also, he mentioned that he read an entire book for just 3 paragraphs of his novel. It just goes to show how much work and effort goes into writing a book. Lastly, I found it very creative for Yann to choose of a pear for Beatrice and Virgil. Most people, including me, would pick any random fruit and start describing it but he went through a mental process of choosing a fruit that was unique, tasty, and difficult to describe. In conclusion, Yann Martel is an interesting man with a lot to say and he seems to be a reliable resource for information. I was just glad to be part of the Zoom call and experience him for myself.
Listening to Yann Martel speak with us today was interesting and very enlightening. I was shocked about how much research he does to just be able to write a little section for his novel and how many words he has taken out of his novel already. I was also surprised that he writes his novels about what interests him. I feel most authors would want to write about what their readers are interested in so they could sell more copies of their work. Overall it was a great opportunity to have Yann Martel answer our questions and learn more about him.
Listening to Yann Martel’s talk and share his wisdom with our class was truly a breathtaking experience from his elaborate responses to our questions. Over the past couple of months, we have been able to study Yann Martel and his novels, I have also done some research of my own on him and to hear his stories made the personality that I had created for Yann truly came to life with the stories that he told us today. It was really interesting with his responses that he gave back to our questions, the responses were really elaborate and extremely intellectual. I also had the honor of asking Yann the question on what was his motive for involving himself in the novels with the creation of Henry in Beatrice and Virgil and with the italicized chapters in Life of Pi. He gave me a very elaborate response that answered my question and much much more. His response allowed me to see why authors write what they write and what their motivation is behind it as well. I also love how he does so much research on everything that he writes. With the story of how he read and dissected an entire novel just to write three paragraphs in his book and in the end, he ended up taking that section out. But it is also really cool how he chooses the names of the animals in Life of Pi, for example how Richard Parker got his name and why he is a tiger. He had many other examples of that but that was the first that came to my mind. One other thing that I found really interesting and puzzling was towards the end of our zoom chat and that was that he had to cut 31,000 words out of his book and all of that hard work was flushed right down the toilet. But in the end, it was truly a breathtaking experience that I will remember for the rest of my life and I learned a lot today from the great Yann Martel.
It was an amazing opportunity to hear Yann Martel speak about his books and to be able to hear his responses to the questions asked. I happened to take a couple of notes on things that he said that stood out to me personally. For example, his explanation for Games for Gustav was that someone shouldn't have to understand hundreds of years of history to know that what happened in the Holocaust was terrible, and this format did a wonderful job of portraying that. Even after reading both Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil, I was still confused on why he chose to use animals as his main focus for getting the theme across. It was nice for him to clear up his thinking that many people would have prior biases towards humans in a story, and those biases would have to be won over, whereas many people do not have preconceived notions of animals. His explanation of why he used a pear was also something that struck me as quite brilliant. He used a fruit that everyone knows in principle but maybe not everyone has tried. He also explained that a ripe pear is harder to come by than some more common fruits. As someone who plans to major in English next year, I also paid more attention to some of the things he explained about being an author. I took note that he finds cafes to be a wonderfully social place to watch interactions and receive ideas. I also thought it was interesting that his characters come much later in the process of writing his books and that they come out of necessity. His books are often not centered around the characters but they are a very important piece to them. What starts it all is rather the idea or theme and not the characters involved, which he later builds to fit the story itself. I am very glad I took the time to listen to the wonderful questions asked and how Yann Martel answered them. I also hope to maybe look into some of his other books as they seemed rather interesting.
Listening to Yann Martel was a very unique and interesting opportunity I enjoyed it very much. It is crazy to think that he sets time aside every year to talk to kids in Brandon, South Dakota. The answers that he gave to the questions we asked were brilliant. Getting to hear about the behind the scenes of his writing was really cool. I was shocked to hear he has cut out 30,000+ words in his novel. That is insane. Also, it was hard to believe how much research goes into such a little part of the book and then to be just cut out in the end. I also enjoyed hearing about the inspiration behind his books. I know now just how much goes into the pages of a novel.
I thought it was pretty neat that we got to hear and see the person behind the novels we are reading in class. In literature, we have been talking about the author's background and how that plays into how they create their books which I have never done before. I think it really adds layers to a piece of work. I liked the questions asked on how Martel's life played into characters and items in the books. I think in a way it makes it more creative and fun to read because he didn't directly make the book about him. The irony and metaphors he wanted us to study were about deeper understandings of literature, society, and ourselves. The overall impact and lessens of the book would have been lost if it were just about him. I also found it super interesting to hear the thought process of an outstanding author like Martel. I feel that I don't have a very creative writing brain so his thought processes impressed me even more. The attention to small details, like choosing a pear over an apple, is what sets Martel's work apart. One thing I thought a lot about after the Zoom meeting was how much time and effort Martel must have put into research. In order to create a cohesive and witty novel, he needed to be well prepared with knowledge of his characters. He had to research everything like huge topics such as the Holocaust to the biology of a howler monkey. I think my favorite observation was a point that Jessica B. brought up in her question: the howler monkey's terrible shriek is the collective sound of grief from the Jews. That small detail of one sound is so genius of Martel. Today's Zoom meeting was super cool and definitely worth every minute!
Yann Martel was a very interesting man, from some of his jokes that he referenced like "madman" in office and "It wasn't written on their forehead, but I'm pretty sure they were gay" really startled me when he said it as I wasn't expecting him to say it! But other more relevant reflections to the topic at hand, his discussion as to why he chose a pear as his fruit of interest, not just because of its oddity in shape, hardness, and sweetness but because its a fruit everyone in the audience could presumably know what it looks like but in actuality have probably never seen a locally grown pear, not from the supermarket, I assume things like a dragon fruit or a durian could have filled this spot as well. Also his comparisons of talking about war versus the holocaust a thought provoked, we have war fanatics who collect war memorabilia and memorize war facts and statistcs—but no person would proudly display they were a Holocaust Fanatic (unless they are hardcore Nazi, I suppose)—which is a very unique way to look at the topic. Meeting him was an interesting opportunity that I'm glad the coronavirus shutdowns didn't spoil—he provided some good laughs and some deeper meaning to some of the topics in his books.
It was awesome to have the opportunity to hear Yann Martel speak. It was my first time listening to an author and I took away a lot from it. Martel answered each question we had with great intelligence and openness. His responses were very elaborate and you could tell he took great pride in his writing. He went very in-depth with each answer, often spending 10-15 minutes on a question. It was very cool to have the questions we've had all semester answered by Martel himself. I especially liked learning why he put certain animals/objects into his writing. His explanations of why he used Richard Parker in Life of Pi and a pear in Beatrice and Virgil were very intriguing. This was an experience that I am excited to tell people about and it is certainly something I will never forget. I am very appreciative of Martel for taking the time to speak with us.
I am extremely grateful we were all granted the opportunity to converse with Yann Martel. It was an experience I have never endured before. Having a discussion with the author of two exemplary novels that we read was truly enlightening. Though I did not ask questions, the questions my classmates asked were those I would have probably asked myself. It felt like my questions were answered and more. Hearing him talk about the thought processes that came into writing his novels such as his inspirations, ideas, and research was intriguing to hear about. One topic that stuck out to me was when he described why he chose the howler monkey and donkey, in particular, to add to Beatrice and Virgil. I never would have realized the parallels between them and the Jews that he mentioned. Within novels, authors have reasoning for everything they add, and the reader may not discover everything. Another being the meaning behind the names Erasmus and Mendlesome. Speaking with Martel, we were able to obtain information on the novel that we could not have found ourselves. It was also quite fascinating to listen to him speak on his inspiration for his novels such as the religion in India, his interest in the Holocaust, along with his intensive research on every topic covered in his novels. Yann Martel is truly a literary genius. Hearing him speak, I quickly realized his passion and hard work he puts into his stories, and I am glad I was able to listen to him speak about it.
Having the opportunity of hearing Yann Martel speak about his novels and various other topics was quite a compelling experience. There is no doubt that he is one of the most intellectual people I’ve ever had the chance to listen to. The amount of research and thought he puts into his writing is absolutely astounding. Practically no details in his novels are inserted without reason. His process with writing the Life of Pi was something I personally thought was very intriguing. Learning that there wasn't originally going to be a tiger on the boat with Pi, but rather it was going to be an elephant or rhinoceros was a plot point that I didn't expect. Along with that, the fact that Martel discovered three different Richard Parkers in history and made ties between all of these figures and the tiger in Life of Pi was something that must have taken hours of time to construct. His extensive responses to questions that seemingly could have been answered in a sentence or two were what probably amazed me the most. It’s unbelievable how much Martel knows and how much he has been able to experience around the world. His outlook on life is very refreshing and his morals are strong. It’s somewhat rare to come across a person as genuine as Martel nowadays so getting the privilege of observing his thought process for an hour or so was something that I won't take for granted.
It was amazing to be able to get the insight of a famous author of two prestigious novels. Throughout the meeting, I took notes and interpreted what Yann Martel was saying, so I would like to share my thoughts:
Although there are a few aspects of himself in the stories, he likes to be inventive and look outwards, meaning he doesn’t include his own life in the books. He didn’t really base the Life of Pi characters off of people he has in his own family/life—all of the characters were his inventions. Concerns of the characters usually come later in his writing process and focus on themes more towards the beginning. He traveled a lot and wasn’t too religious growing up; when traveled to India you could see all of the religious aspects and it is a very religious country that inspired him to use India in Life of Pi. Curiosity lead him to ideas of what to write and research for his novels. Yann Martel originally wanted to do a flipbook for his Beatrice and Virgil novel, but he took the editors' suggestions to combine fiction and nonfiction; he said he still has a small regret about not doing the flipbook. He uses animals because it gets rid of the prejudices that humans have and think while reading about other humans. We know our own species so using animals keeps us open-minded when reading, and animals tend to intrigue the reader more. Yann Martel loves all of his books like his children, but his favorite book he has written is Self.
These were just a few of the many topics Yann Martel touched on and intrigued me while listening. I am truly grateful I was able to experience meeting him this afternoon.
The meeting with Yann Martel was an amazing experience. It was helpful for me in knowing more of his personality and hearing a voice to connect with the books. I can definitely see how he inputs his own personality into the characters and even narrators. The thing that impressed me the most was the amount of research he does for his books. During the meeting, he talked about his new upcoming book. A thing that stood out to me was how he said he read an entire book to write three paragraphs, which he ended up deleting. Also, getting to know his thoughts on his novels was interesting. He shared with us how some of the characters went through things based on his own personal experiences, but not always, which was a connection we liked to make. I really liked how he explained the metaphors in the book, Life of Pi, and how it can be placed on a lot of different situations. I appreciate him going into such depth with each question we asked, and the meeting helped me see the book in a better light.
Being able to listen and learn from Yann Martel face to face was truly an incredible experience. He is such a compelling author and having the opportunity to hear his inspirations and ideas (in which some failed) was absolutely amazing. I thought it was extremely interesting when Martel said his first inspiration for Life of Pi was to use an elephant as Pi’s companion rather than a Bengal tiger. If an elephant was on the lifeboat with Pi, I feel like the story would have had a completely different dynamic as well as the other animals he was considering. It was interesting to learn why Martel chooses to use animals as characters rather than humans, and why he chooses the animals he does. He puts so much thought into all of his work, which is truly inspiring for us students. Martel’s perseverance as an author is very visible, he is not simply writing a novel at his desk, he is doing years of research and traveling to perfect his novels. I have a lot of respect for Yann Martel and cannot wait for the publishing of his next book.
Today for about an hour I got the brilliant opportunity to hear the brilliant author, Yann Martel, speak to our class. I personally did not ask him a question, however, it was still a great opportunity to listen to his answers. I thought that this experience was something that is almost once in a lifetime thing being able to talk to such a great experienced author. I thought that he seemed like a really nice down to Earth guy. I thought that his answers made lots of sense and I found it very interesting. For example, how he would write each book based on something that he was interested in. Such as his curiosity about religion in Life of Pi and how the holocaust is through Beatrice and Virgil. I thought that it is very kind and nice for him to take time out every year to talk to our students and answer questions about his stories and tell us about himself and his inspiration. I thought that it was really cool that he likes to travel the world and does that to get inspiration for his stories. I wish to one day travel the world to see all the different and unique aspects that this world has to offer. It is crazy how much information that he adds to his stories and how much research he has to do. I did have a little computer issues so at times it would lag for me a little bit but overall, this was a very good experience and I enjoyed hearing what he had to say! I can't wait until he releases the new book that he has been working on and see if it is just as good as his other works!
I thought that being able to talk to Yann Martel was an amazing experience. Being able to actually listen to him and for some of my peers to ask him questions that they had was amazing. This was really a once in a lifetime opportunity. Not many people get to have experiences like what we had today. I really liked how he was open about the questions, we really learned more about him and how he writes. I found it interesting how he becomes inspired to write books. He writes books on what he is curious about. I found that really interesting and eye-opening. After listening to him today I can really see how he puts himself into his books, like his writing experiences in "Beatrice and Virgil". All I really can say is how lucky we were to talk to him and get his input on our questions. Also, I am really excited about his next book, because I am a huge fan of ancient Greece so I will definitely keep my eye out for that.
Listening to Yann Martel speak about his tremendous works of poetry was something that was quite awe-inspiring and an overall cool experience. It's not every day you get to meet not only a person as smart as Yann but also as talented. I really liked how in-depth he went into his answers as well as how articulate he was with his words. You could tell whenever he answered a question, he said exactly what he meant to say. One thing that I learned from Yann was about all the other religions out there and learning there ways. For example, I had no idea that people of the Jewish faith tended to be more progressive than other religions. Something I would've never figured out. Plus I really like in one of his answers that his books are more about what he's curious. How Life of Pi was inspired because he was curious about religion or how Beatrice and Virgil was inspired because he was curious about the Holocaust. Things like that were really cool. Overall an experience I will not forget.
It was a very unique experience to hear Yann Martel speak to us, and answer my question. He seems like a very interesting man who has a lot to say. Getting to speak to him personally is an opportunity I will most certainly never forget. For being a best selling author, he was surprisingly down to Earth and very humble, he never even once mentioned it. He had many interesting things to say, including the reasons why he wrote Beatrice and Virgil and Life of Pi, which was simply because he was curious. He elaborated on every response, taking at least 5 minutes to answer every question. That showed he was very invested and interested in what we actually had to say, which was very cool to witness.
Mr. C, I didn't see there was a deadline for the response in the blog task. If I can still get the extra credit that is great, otherwise here is what I took away and gained from the zoom.
It is great that Yann Martel takes the time to do that with each class every year, it is a very cool experience. He seems like a very interesting man with a passion for history and travel. Then he likes to relate these things into his books. I liked how genuinely nice he seemed also, just from the way he talked and what he talked about, and how he approached things it seemed like he is a very nice person. My favorite answer he had was when he was asked about the characters Beatrice and Virgil and how he came about a howler monkey and a donkey. After he said that they were each meant to be a positive stereotype of the Jewish religion, I was kinda lost for words because never in a thousand years would I have thought of that. Also, I found it very interesting at the end when he was talking about the new book. I cannot imagine cutting 30,000 words, that is insane to me. The research that authors have to do for such tiny sections of books is fascinating as well. He said that he read an entire book for three paragraphs and then ended up cutting the paragraphs. This increases my respect for Yann and other authors as a whole for the work they do. The best thing I took away from the zoom was Yann's advice on when he was first becoming an author. I really liked how he explained that you should find something you enjoy and try to build off that as a career even if you see it going nowhere. If that does not work, he said to try something else because it will all work out, in the end, one way or another.
Yesterday's experience of getting to sit back and listen to my classmates pick his brain was quite interesting. I think that it a very cool thing when you can have a celebrity/best-selling author in that type of environment. I thought that it was very cool, how he can take time out his day just to talk to some impressionable high school kids. The fact that he was such a humble and down to Earth person was also very cool to me. I also think another interesting part of what he had to say, was that when he was talking about three paragraphs that he wrote, he read a whole book just to write those paragraphs. And as he went on with this story, he proceeded to delete those three paragraphs. So it was interesting to hear that such a successful man was doing so much research to write such a little part of the story, just to go on and delete it. That was my biggest take away from yesterday. That the amount of preparation directly reflects the quality of your work. And we have all had this instilled into our brains since a young age, but to hear it from somebody like that, it really puts things into perspective. No matter what level you are at, you have to start with the simple things, to take on whatever task you have at hand.
I thought the Zoom call with author Yann Martel was a great experience and an amazing opportunity to get more insight into his books and the reasons behind them. I thought that he was very generous to take time out of his day to answer our questions and give us background information and I am very grateful that we were able to call him. I think one of the most interesting takeaways for me was his view on religions. India's culture, religion, and customs are all things that I find unique and puzzling and I loved to hear more about it from such a great author who has studied those things. I think his reasoning behind using things such as a tiger or a pear are things that most readers often overlook, and I from reading other books I don't think other authors take the time or dedication to think of how an animal or fruit will reflect in a readers mind. Another thing that I heard from Martel that I found interesting was how long it can take to write a book, and how much editing can go into it. I can't believe that he would delete 30,000 words from his text, especially when three paragraphs took a whole book of research to write. I think the amount of dedication Yann Martel has for his craft is inspiring.
I thought that the meeting with Yann Martel was very interesting, and gave us insights in to his writing. It was riveting to hear about his purpose for writing Life of Pi, and hearing his story about the Hindu man in India. It surprised me that originally he wanted to write about an elephant or a rhinoceros. Also, I had no idea about the origins of the name Richard Parker. I also was surprised by the sheer amount of writing he was taking out of his new novel. I had no idea that books are trimmed down so much before they are published. I also liked hearing him talk about Beatrice and Virgil, and how critics thought of it. He was definitely a cool guy to talk to, and I very much enjoyed listening to him talk about his work and his opinions. Hearing him speak made me realize just how intelligent and passionate he is about his writing.
I thought the Zoom meeting with Yann Martel was a great experience. I have never talked to a famous writer face to face like that. I really liked how he was open to answering any questions that we had. I thought it was interesting that each of his books started from something he was curious about. Something that I was surprised about was that he didn't start writing until his early 20s. I would've thought that such a great writer would have always been writing. Overall, this was a great experience and I'm glad that I got to talk face to face with Yann Martel.
After reading the two fantastic and luminously written novels by Yann Martel titles Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil, I was given the opportunity to attend a video chat. During this video chat, Yann Martell was questioned by my peers on certain topics throughout his books that interested them. Having the ability to listen to a well thought, and brilliant author such as Martel is an opportunity that not many students ever get the chance to do; therefore, all of my interest was focused on Martel—his answers and thoughts were very thought-provoking. One question asked about how Martel integrated himself into his novels—specifically in his relations to the main characters in his novel titled Beatrice and Virgil. Answering this question, Martel stated that he doesn't attempt to write his novels from an autobiographical standpoint—granted this is a fiction novel—but he does at times include modest fragments from his life and the people who surround him in his life. One very interesting and eye-opening segment of this zoom session focuses on a question on the parallels between Life of Pi and Edgar Allen Poe's sole novel titled, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Each novel contained a character named Richard Parker, a tiger, and a seafaring tale of survival; in fact, Martel stated that when choosing the name for the tiger in his novel, he used Poe's novel in accordance with a couple other works which all referenced the name, Richard Parker. Overall, this opportunity to listen to the thoughts and questions of my classmates and Yann Martel was incredible, and I hope that further down the road I may get another opportunity to speak to more brilliant minded authors such as Martel. Being thankful for this occasion, I am interested to read the next novel Martel had stated that he was writing during our video chat, and hope that younger students also get a chance to meet this brilliant, kind, and unique author.
Yann Martel was very nice and very polite. I loved that he answered the call from his wife; I thought that that was really funny and sweet. Whenever we would ask him a simple or short question he was able to come up with a very long and elaborate answer for us that not only answered the question being asked, but also answered many other things. He is obviously very generous considering he took time out of his day to video chat with a group of 80+ high school students. I am so happy that I actually was able to speak to a good and well-known author. You can tell he is a writer because he is able to go on and on with ease and he can talk in a way that makes you want to continue listening and makes me feel like I am reading one of his books. Thanks Mr. C
Getting to see the mastermind behind these incredible books was such a great opportunity. I am extremely grateful that Mr. Yann Martel gave our senior class his time to answer our questions. Martel really seemed to enjoy answering our questions and talking to us about his work. The fact that he still made arrangements to speak with us during these difficult times shows how dedicated he is to the people who appreciate his work. He is humble but proud of his great work and from what I was able to see, he seems like a nice person. My favorite part of the zoom call was when he answered Avery's question about his inspiration for writing Life of Pi. Learning his backstory and his growing up and how influential traveling around the world was fascinating to me. Most of all I liked that each of his novels started by him being curious about a topic. This was truly a great experience to hear from Yann Martel.
I thought it was a very neat experience to be able to zoom with Yann Martel after reading a couple of his books. He seems like a very personable guy and was also quite funny throughout the session. I also noticed how he doesn't really hold anything back when he is speaking, whether he was talking about Donald Trump or Jews. I thought it was funny when he was talking about both of those topics. I also thought it was very interesting listening to all of the stories and the ways that a few of his characters are developed or how they got their names, and also how much research he does, not only for a whole book but even for those 3 paragraphs of his new book that he ended up cutting anyways. It makes you realize how determined you have to be in order to be in his position. Adding onto that, I think the amount of research he does for his stories is incredible, He was telling us about how he really studied tigers hard, how he read on them and even went to zoos to study them, and the pure determination he has to make his books the best they can be is amazing. I also believe he was there to actually talk to us and not just pass the time by for you. The way he took his time thoroughly answering every question proved that he really cared. The one thing that did really stick out to me like you already said is how in the end he said: "see you next year, Matt." I thought that was very cool, and just is another reason why he is such a personable guy.
I think that the zoom meeting with Yann Martel was very interesting. Getting to know why he wrote what he did and what was going through his mind was insightful. My favorite part was when he talked about why he chose the pear as a fruit instead of anything else like an apple. I liked it when he mentioned that you can get an apple anytime but pears are only good during a specific time, or when he talks about how the pear is a soft fruit, unlike most other fruits. Another thing that stood out to me is how persistent he is. I think that it helps him in his writing. He talks about how the first book of Beatrice and Virgil was a flipbook and the editors didn't like it; however, he pushes what he wants through and compromised to make the editors happy. One last thing that stood out to me is that he didn't study writing in college. He spent his time studying something else and only used writing as a backup. He didn't even start writing until he was older. Most famous authors we know studying writing, and start writing when they are younger. I think that Yann Martel is a very cool dude. It was nice to get to chat with him and get a more clear answer about what the books meant to him.
The Zoom meeting was interesting and informative. Through speaking with him we can now delve deeper in than before. I actually reread the entire book today and knowing what we do now compared to what we were assuming or thinking before the difference is incredible. For example, unknowingly he answered one of my questions by answering another question explaining the reasoning behind the names of Henry's pets. Another question that I feel relatively safe in assuming I now know the answer deals with when he plays the clarinet. He most likely picked Mozart because when we think of classical composers he is one of the first people think of and his works are very well known. Most people, when asked to list a classical composer, would most likely say Mozart first. I loved how we learn the reasoning behind the flipbook and not only that but how he nods in the book to the fact that Beatrice and Virgil was originally supposed to be a flipbook. We learned where his inspiration comes from, his curiosity about certain subjects. The connections we learned about alongside the ones we already knew of were incredible. For example, the name Richard Parker coming from a real-life story and a novel by Edgar Allen Poe. We also learned of the different animals Martel went through before settling on a tiger. The struggles Martel talked about at the end about the difficulty of being a writer were eye-opening. The fact that he read an entire book for three paragraphs that ended up getting cut would be devastating to some, yet he mentions it and keeps moving on with no hesitation. This opportunity was something that I loved having the chance to participate in.
It was a very cool experience to be able to talk with such a brilliant writer also how he incorporated some of the ideas into the books the way he did. In the book Beatrice And Virgil, he incorporated the pear as a fruit. The reason he chose a pear was that it is hard to come across such a good pear and I found that amazing how he comes up with the ideas. Also at the very end of the zoom, he said how he just took out 31,000 words in three days. That blows my mind how did that. Also, he read an entire book just to write three paragraphs.
It was amazing to be able to hear and talk with Yann Martel himself! I loved being able to grab inside information about the intentions for his books and the messages he wanted to be conveyed. One of the most interesting insights I learned was about where the character Richard Parker came from. As Miles asked about Edgar Allen Poe's story with Richard Parker as a character, Martel shared about how that was where he originally got the tiger's name in his book Life of Pi. I also found it interesting to learn about his intent for each of the animals he chose in his book. He talked a lot about how the howler monkey connected to what he would imagine the reactions of the Jewish people during the Holocaust would be. Towards the end of the call, Martel spoke about his struggles as a writer both in the past with previous books and the present with his newest book he's writing. He was very open to sharing about the process of writing one of his books and the tedious work that goes into it. This was truly eye-opening to hear about how tiresome and devasting the process can be. Overall, I am beyond thankful for the experience to have gained wisdom from such an articulate writer and even better individual.
Yann Martel is a very thoughtful, and wise individual. He has widespread knowledge and has a gift for sharing it in interesting and informative ways. Listening to him speak about his novels was enjoyable and thought-provoking. I could hear the passion in his voice and could practically see the gear turning when he thought back on the processes he used when constructing his novels. It was interesting to me how this was his way of sharing his thoughts, emotions, and expressing himself. It made me think of how everyone expresses themself differently and how so many people have different things to share. I really enjoyed the zoom meeting!
I thought it was a pretty cool experience to be able to talk to the actual author about a book that is so widely known. He has such a wide range of knowledge and getting to hear feedback from him was great. He had such passion when he was speaking and could elaborate well on our questions. I could just tell he was really engaged during the Zoom meeting and wanted to give us educated answers. It was also interesting to hear a little about his backstory and where he came from. He seems like he has a cultured background and has experienced many different lifestyles which I think makes him a very humble person. Overall I thought it was a great experience and glad I participated.
When zoom chatting with Yan Martel, I thought it was a really cool experience to be able to see what he has to say about what he wrote in both of the books that we read of his. He has a lot of interesting answers that made you think a lot more about the questions that were asked and brought up questions on top of those questions. He is a very smart individual with a lot of knowledge and passion for what he is talking about. I am super happy I joined the zoom chat and was able to see what his viewpoint is on his books and other things in general that related to his books. I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to have talked and been able to listen to his answer to all of the questions.
Having the opportunity to meet and talk to Yann Martel is an experience I will remember forever. What I loved the most was the fact that Martel went so in depth with his answers to each question. I respect him for going above and beyond to ensure our questions were answered fully. Another point that I found very interesting was that he said he does not write his books about himself. After all of our discussions in class it was agreed upon that Henry was reflected on himself. I think that it was really surprising to see and hear that he doesn't write his book reflecting him or his life. Finally, a respectful point he made was that he reads and researches many books and websites in order to write his books. He mentioned that while writing his newest book he read an entire book in order to write 3 paragraphs. Which he ended up deleting anyways. In total I completely respect Martel and his writing styles, I think that it is interesting to hear his thoughts. I am thankful for this experience as I am sure I will never experience anything like this as well.
I thought that video chatting with Yann Martell was very cool. It is not every day that you get to pick the brain of an accomplished author. I really enjoyed how thoroughly and coherently he gave his answers. He answered all parts of every question in a way that could be easily understood and enjoyed. It was really cool to see that he was a real, normal guy as well. Usually when you see an author's name or hear about someone famous you do not usually get to put the face to the name like we did with Yann. He is a super cool and intellectual dude that I certainly would not mind hearing from again. I think that he has a vast amount of knowledge because he truly enjoys learning new things and conveying it in his writing. Definitely someone that would be a positive influence in life.
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It was an amazing opportunity to hear Yann Martel speak to us about his novels. It is good to get to hear the point of view about a book of the person who wrote the books. I felt like we were not really asking the correct questions, we would ask a question and he would turn the question towards religion or the holocaust. I think that those were the topics that he wanted to talk about. We might have been delving too deep into smaller details. I didn't know about the parallels between Life of Pi and Edgar Allen Po's novel. I have always struggled with writing because I am trying to create completely original work but I didn't think that even famous authors can use information or themes from other works. I noticed that Yann Martel is extremely observant, he noticed not just questions but the backgrounds of everyone who asked a question and he managed to remember details from several years ago. He also seemed to be a wealth of knowledge and very cultured. I'm sure that both his observational prowess and the cultural experience from his travels attributed to his success as an author. It was interesting that self was so prevalent in his life even though it's not as famous.
Over the past several weeks, I have had the opportunity to study two distinct novels: Life of Pi and Beatrice of Virgil. I thoroughly enjoyed reading both of these books and yearned for the opportunity to learn about the process behind their composition. Thus, today’s meeting provided the in-depth look into author Yann Martel that I was looking for. I was intrigued to learn that Martel did not intend for his novels to be very autobiographical. Instead, he claimed to have only included small snippets of his life during character development. Other than basing his author’s note in Life of Pi on a real meeting he had in Pondicherry, the majority of Martel’s characters were completely invented. This is very surprising given the character depth and realism found within his novels. However, he did admit that there are some similarities between him and Beatrice and Virgil’s protagonist Henry. Both Martel and Henry are fairly successful authors who receive many letters from their readers and wanted to construct a novel that helped propose a new way to talk about the Holocaust. I was surprised to learn that the flipbook mentioned in Beatrice and Virgil was actually real and that Martel regrets listening to his editors and changing his novel’s structure. Perhaps following through with his intuition would have brought him even greater success. Instead of basing the majority of his novel’s contents on personal experiences, Martel claims that curiosity is what drove him to write. He wrote Life of Pi because of a curiosity about religion, especially after witnessing its high placement within Indian culture. He wrote Beatrice and Virgil because of a curiosity about the Holocaust and a wonderment about how to present it in a new light. He then spent years pursuing his curiosity deeply through research and implemented this research into his writing. For example, Richard Parker in Life of Pi got his name from a character in a similar-themed novel by Edgar Allen Poe. In essence, every word of Yann Martel’s novels was deliberately filled with facts in order to make his plots as believable as possible. He seeks to place his reader within the setting of his books without them having to have any prior knowledge on the subject matter and inform them through experiences. I can think of no better way to learn. In the end, Yann Martell is clearly a master at his craft. I am incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to learn from him today and cannot wait to read the next novel he provides.
It was a great experience to hear Yann martel speak to us and answer questions about both of the novels we have read that he has written. I found the inspiration question to be the most interesting out of all along with the question about the pear. It also seemed as though he wanted to be there as well due to the things he noticed about those whose cameras were on. The only part of the whole thing that I personally wish was left out was the political commentary. Overall, it was a fun time and worth the hour out of my day.
Over the past few months, I have had the chance to analyze the works of award-winning author Yann Martel. Of course, such well-written novels can easily portray the personality and emotions of the author who wrote them. However, they don’t always give the full picture. Through this Zoom chat, I have had the chance to see into the mind of Yann Martel; how he develops his novels and what his intentions actually are. From the moment the call began, I noticed his kind, brilliant personality. He thoroughly answered all questions and made sure to acknowledge the students who asked them. Soon after, he introduced us to his prime motivation for writing: curiosity. It is this curiosity that led him to the Holocaust in Beatrice and Virgil, and it is this same concept that leads him to all his creations. Indeed, it is exactly because of this curiosity that Martel is willing to spend years researching and editing in order to create a polished product. From there, he discussed his symbolism; what his intentions were for many aspects of his novels. Whether it be Beatrice the donkey’s portrayal of the oppressed Jewish population or the use of Games for Gustav to represent the tragedy of the Holocaust, Martel uses relatable aspects of real-life to convey a broader message through fiction. These references are often supported by previous literary works—as is the case for Richard Parker in Life of Pi and his relation to previous stories about shipwreck survivors—and are written in such a way to have a huge impact on the reader. Finally, I learned about Yann Martel as a person. He explained the pleasure he got out of writing and his feelings on the importance of religion and reading. In the end, I left this zoom call with a new understanding of Yann Martel and all authors in general. I now know that every book that is written is written for a reason, and I can’t wait to continue exploring literature in the years ahead.
I thought it was really cool to be able to sit in my bed and watch and listen to such an amazing, influential writer. I think one of the things that stood out to me most was when he was talking about Virgil and Beatrice and he said, "war is something we can play with. A child can flay war with his or her friends." I think this statement is true, as my friends and I used to play war when we were little. GHe was comparing war to the holocaust; war is something we can understand, something e can wrap our heads around and play with, whereas the Holocaust is not something we totally understand. It would be boring to sit in your backyard on a summer day when you are 9 years old and pretend to throw someone into a gas chamber. No child wants to play holocaust.... Another thing I thought was really cool was how he told us about a book he was working on and was almost done with. I might consider reading the book next year if I am bored in my dorm room. The fact that he cut over 30,000 words really stood out to me; applying for scholarships and writing essay after essay, I know how much it can suck to cut out a big section, so I can only imagine what it felt like cutting 30,000 words. It was also very intriguing that he read an entire book to write three paragraphs about, and he ended up cutting out those three paragraphs.
I really enjoyed listening to Martel and what he had to say. I found it interesting that he wanted to write about topics that interested him and made him curious, and not what he thought his audience would enjoy. Being able to hear from his point of view on what he has written was very intriguing and quite fascinating. He would relate a number of questions to the holocaust and religion and I believe those certain things are what he was interested or curious about when writing his books. I overall was interested in how he researches and travels to find some things that inspire him or make him curious, like how he went to India for example and studied the people, the religion, the way of life, etc.
Being able to have an interview session with Yann Martel himself was really eye-opening and informative. I was able to learn a lot more about the intentions and thoughts behind each of his novels. I really enjoyed being able to ask my own question that I have been wondering while reading Beatrice and Virgil. One of the most informing things that I learned was that Yann Martel writes a lot based on what intrigues him. Even if he is not writing based on his specific life experiences, he is still writing about things that he is curious about. The whole discussion about how he wrote Life of Pi because he was fascinated by the different religions was very informative. The question I asked about if he bases some of the characteristics of Henry on himself was enlightening. It is cool to know that the fan mail and letters he gets served as an inspiration for a part of his novel. Getting a response on him inserting himself into the novel is quite reassuring to hear after wondering if he really did or not. Hearing the story about how his editors did not like his idea of a flipbook was quite interesting because he ended up using that in his novel Beatrice and Virgil.
Hearing from Yann Martel was a great opportunity and I loved learning new things. Before the call, I had no idea that Martel was not from a religious background. He was curious about how people could believe in something where there was no evident proof. I found this really interesting due to religion having a large role in Life of Pi. Another thing I enjoyed was hearing was his take on the reason he chose a pear in Beatrice and Virgil instead of another type of fruit. The way he described the fruit was all true, but I had never thought about it in that way. People know what pear is but it combines both the familiar and unfamiliar traits we have come to know. A third thing that I found cool was how a tiger was not the first animal Martel was planning on using in Life of Pi. He had an Indian Elephant but that became too comical and a rhinoceros but that was a herbivore. A fact that I had not even taken into consideration until today. One comment that Martel made that really made me ponder was why do people feel nervous about talking about the Holocaust and not about a war when more people have died in those wars. I completely agree with this statement he made and he brings up a good point. Why do we feel anxious when speaking about the Holocaust. Who's to know... Listening to Yann Martel was a great experience and I will hold onto the knowledge from today for a long time.
I don't exactly know what I was expecting of Yann Martel going into the Zoom meeting, but his presence and demeanor were very surprising to me. Inherently and visually, he seemed like just a regular guy, but a couple sentences in I could tell that he has reached a different capacity than the average person will ever reach. He knows something about everything and still seems curious about learning more and stretching himself. As someone who has always been interested in history and is planning on studying it next year, I was super impressed with the fine details he could just rattle off about different eras of war or human nature. Mr. Martel offered me a different perspective on the Holocaust; and though he didn't directly live through the genocide, he seemed to be very familiar with the many facets of WWII-- as if his research has allowed him to live vicariously through his characters and figures in history. Selfishly, I was also surprised that someone of his caliber and celebrity didn't have a flashy thing in his possession.
I thought our zoom chat with Yann Martel was very interesting! I enjoyed getting to listen to his motives for writing and where he found inspiration. I was not able to hear him for some reason for the first six questions and had to switch between 4 devices so I wish I could have experienced the answers to the other questions but overall I thought what I heard was very informative! I thought him explaining how "artists" start-up was very interesting and I found the inspiration story for Life of Pi was also interesting. I was surprised when he said he travels a lot and that helped him write the story. I was also surprised when he said that he considered an Indian elephant over a tiger as the animal that was with Pi in the boat. I figured a tiger was his first choice for an animal that Pi cannot ignore. I thought our questions were very good ones to ask and I believe that he was really happy to speak with us for the duration of the call.
During the Zoom call with Yann Martel, I learned so much insight and information about himself and his works. He talked to us about how characters rarely develop from details in his personal life, but more from his research—how Richard Parker was the name of three different characters in different works he researched to prepare Life of Pi. I learned that the FlipBook in Beatrice & Virgil was actually his first draft of that book. Learning that the reason for the use of pear instead of an apple or a banana was to show a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar and the beauty in that fruit really showed me how something can be so rare but so known at the same time. This also happened with Martel telling us how he chose the tiger for Richard Parker instead of an Indian Elephant or a Highland Rhinocerous—knowing what they are but not knowing anything about them. All in all, the interview with Mr. Yann Martel was a wonderful, educational, learning experience for myself (and I'm sure for my classmates, as well). The word 'Curiosity' definitely defines Mr. Yann Martel and his way of diving into researching and composing.
To be able to listen and gain knowledge face to face with this incredible author was a great privilege. It was intriguing to hear the thinking that went behind "Life of Pi" and "Beatrice and Virgil." Like Yann Martel, I am also intrigued by the Holocaust. Hearing how he views the Holocaust as your favorite song you have heard 350 times did make sense. So many stories about the Holocaust has been written in the view of the Jews or Nazi soldiers. These narratives do leave a lasting impression, but with Martel's intelligence, it displays these stories in a different light. From Martel explaining this different method, I discovered new symbols and allegories he had made. This includes how Virgil symbolizes communism due to his red fur and clever personality. Additionally, the use of a donkey to represent the clever and stubbornness that Jews have the reputation of. I do agree with him that he should have stuck with the flip-book design for "Beatrice and Virgil." The design would inspire other authors to do the same since his books are quite inspiring. I find it very captivating the amount of work, patience, and research he did to create his books. I did not know the extent of work put into writing a book since I do not know an author on a personal level. I knew it was a copious amount of effort to accomplish, but after hearing him cut 31,000 words it is astonishing how much a story can be shortened to. Imagine if "Beatrice and Virgil" had 31,000 words added to it. The theme and the story behind the novel would completely change. After being able to read both books we have read in class, it urges me to read his other novels. For example, the book he is very fond of, "Self." I also am excited to see his progress in his new book and see how well it does.
What an interesting experience!!!!! Talking/listening to the author of a novel that I enjoy is a once in a lifetime experience. It certainly is not something that would happen often. Yann also just seemed very kind, especially to take time out of his life to answer questions from a school in South Dakota. Based on the questions that were asked, it's very intriguing how deep some aspects of his novel are, or more specifically how some parts are rooted and based on some of his experiences. I think it's interesting how much he travels. It makes sense looking back on it now, but I had never thought about how that could be the inspiration behind a novel. I had never thought about the inspiration behind Life of Pi, and it was really cool to listen to how he described India and its cultures. Also, how the animals provide extra levels of meaning in his novel beyond what we initially think, which is amazing. For instance, how the howler monkey is a loud animal and he wanted the animal used to portray the Holocaust to be loud and to howl; I just thought it was really cool. I just thought every point he made about his novels was very interesting and it definitely opened my eyes to different aspects in his novels. This was an amazing experience.
This was a really cool opportunity to be apart of. I love to see Yann Martel's viewpoint on everything he has written over several years. I think that he had very intellectual answers that made me think more about what I/my fellow classmates had asked. My favorite part of the whole zoom meeting was when he mentioned why he used animals besides people. He said that we tend to look at nature with a sense of marvel and so he didn't want his readers to create notions about that person. I honestly believe in this because I feel that if he started the story with the people instead of the animals in Life of Pi, we would have all been biased and made notions over each individual. Since he wrote about the animals, we all marveled at the story and didn't put too much thought into it.
Having the opportunity to speak with Yann Martel was indescribable and rather incredible. It was quite fascinating to hear about an author speak on the behalf of his novels, famous or simply personal. I concluded from his writing that every word meant something and held a purpose. I received confirmation today when listening about him having to splice words out of the book, or how they later resonated with him and helped him shape yet another book on an interesting topic of war, personal struggles, or self-realization. I am pleased with given the chance to read two of his most known novels: Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil. I cannot deny the fact that I will continue reading his novels in the future. I am most surprised by his responses to each student's question. He answered them with full knowledge of each subject and had no hesitation to throw in his own personal views, something I love hearing when talking with an intelligent mind. I hope to speak with him again, whether that's through online meetings or writing a letter. His words and intellect had a strong impact on my life and was refreshing to hear the steps taken to construct the novel that will forever leave a mind searching and wanting for more.
Listening to an author answer questions about their books is an amazing experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to get to do so with Yann Martel. He is a brilliant person with a lot of creativity and curiosity. He said all his inspiration for his novels come from being curious about certain subjects. For example, Life of Pi was written because he was interested in traveling and religion, and Beatrice and Virgil was written because he was interested in the Holocaust and different ways of portraying it. The connections Martel makes with his novels to real life are brilliant and subtle. The name of Richard Parker is loosely based on a real life story and a novel by Edgar Allan Poe. In Beatrice and Virgil, Henry's pets, Erasmus and Mendehlson, are based on European success. It was very interesting to hear the journey of the animal Martel wanted to use for Life of Pi. I never would have guessed that he didn't start out with the idea of a tiger. His first idea was of an elephant, then a rhino, and a lot of other animals. One last thing was the struggles Martel sometimes faces as an author. Towards the end of the meeting, he said something about reading an entire book to do research for three chapters of a book that he ended up cutting. I can't imagine what it would feel like to put forth that much effort only to delete it later. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience of meeting with Yann Martel and learning a bit more about his novels and him as a person.
It was incredible getting to listen to the reason and logic of Yann Martel as he answered our questions and shared his experiences through writing. The first topic that I loved from this discussion was how curiosity is truly the root of all his stories and motives. This same curiosity is what drove him to write Life of Pi and focus it around an open religion like Hinduism. Every one of his stories comes from a point in his life where something intrigued him to find out more. I loved how he used the connection of learning about the Holocaust to listening to one's favorite song. After hearing about it so many times, we begin to not truly listen anymore. It was interesting to see him compare how we portray war both bad and good. However, a tragedy like the Holocaust if portrayed in any other form (Beatrice and Virgil) is trivializing it. It is incredibly unique how he tries to pick objects that people either know only the principle of what it is about or hold no biases towards. For example, the pear is a fruit that never comes first in one's mind and is always hard to get just right. Also, animals being go-to characters for him based on not having to worry about the prejudices that people often hold against fellow humans. Finally, you could tell how much time, knowledge, and research he puts into every one of his novels. I believe that is why all his creations succeed in leaving readers in awe and with a new view on something.
Hearing from Yann Martel was an amazing experience. I never thought I would be able to hear from a person whose book I have read. It was interesting to hear the questions that people asked, and it was also interesting to hear what Martel had to say. He had great answers to all of the questions and I got some questions answers that I had to his books. I like how he answered all of his questions with facts that he has researched. For example, he was wondering about religion so he researched it and ended up writing a book about it. It also interested me on why he picked Richard Parker's name and why he picked a tiger. It would've been interesting to see an elephant or a gorila on a lifeboat. It amazed me how he cut 30,000 words from his book and he still has 300 some pages. 30,000 words is a lot to read and he cut it from one of his books. I think that this interview with Yann Martel went very well and I learned a lot from him.
I loved the zoom meeting with Yann Martel. The way he talks and his presences (even through a screen) was inspiring. My favorite part was when he talked about Life of Pi and what different animals he was going to use instead of a tiger. An elephant, a rhino, a gorilla would have had a total different outlook than a tiger. I am so glad that he picked the tiger. Like he said once you start to create a character you tend to really like them and are drawn in by them. Richard Parker in Life of Pi was one of my favorite characters and I could not image a different animal in his place. I am inspired to read his other books like High Mountains of Portugal and Self. I also can not wait to read his newest novel on the Trojan War.
Wow! What an amazing experience it was being able to speak with Yann Martel via Zoom. He provided in-depth reasoning for each question and went above and beyond each as well. I had the opportunity to ask him the question of why he chose a pear instead of any other type of fruit. He said that he wanted the fruit to be something that was familiar but also unfamiliar at the same time (a pear is somewhat unique). He wanted the characters to know what it was but not exactly what it tasted like and felt like, therefore the description of 7 pages. The same goes for other books of his, he wanted the animal in Life of Pi to relate to this somehow but could not find an animal that fit the familiarity and unfamiliarity that also was a fierce predator. The most interesting thing I thought was the constant revising of his books. He just cut 31,000+ words from his newest book and is constantly writing drafts, revising, and even looking at the deleted words. Overall, it was a fun experience that provided a real insight to me as to what an author does and why Martel did the things he did.
Listening to Yann Martel speak and answer our questions in real-time was a cool and unique experience in my eyes. To hear the method behind the madness (not that Martel's work is madness) put me in a state of awe. His writing process is so intricate and extensive so that it all works together so perfectly in the end. When Martel mentioned how he had scratched 30,000 words from his latest novel, my mind was blown. He is a true master of literature. On the flip side, it was nice to see how Martel is also human, like you and me. We received a glimpse into his life; he has a wife and four kids, a college degree, and a love for traveling. There is indeed a real person behind these great literary feats. Sometimes when reading, I forget that someone wrote this with a lot of hard work, and that it's not simply a robot who eats, sleeps, and breathing writing. Overall, I learned a great deal about both Martel and his works from our Zoom meeting with Yann Martel.
Being able to speak with Yann Martel was an amazing experience and something I will never forget. I really enjoyed getting insight into his mind and the influence of that in his writing. For example, I learned that he does not include much of his personal life in the books, but it really does seem like he does. However, he did say that the idea of the flipbook for Beatrice and Virgil was true. Along with this, he does not use people he knows as characters in his novels very much. I also learned that he is inspired and chooses what to write about based on his many travel experiences and what interests him. An example of this is he did not grow up very religious, so, in Life of Pi, he wrote a lot about religion because it was something that intrigued him. It was also something that he did not know much about. What I found most interesting is that his favorite book he wrote was Self. It seems like a very interesting book. I was also surprised when he told us he cut about 30,000 words from the new novel he is writing. He said he did a lot of reading and research so having to take parts out after so much work was very difficult. Overall, zooming with him was very fun and helped me learn a lot about his novels.
Yann Martel is definitely a character and so brilliant that I really enjoyed listening to him today. Martel’s answers really surprised me and I could’ve asked him a hundred more questions. The biggest surprise to me was how he wasn’t very religious, yet one of his books involves a lot of religious material. He explained how much research it took and how interested he was in the religions he studied. I have to say he definitely knows a lot about what he writes; he even mentioned reading a whole book just to write a page. I was also shocked when he said he doesn’t really use himself in his novels, yet we still see it a few times. When asking questions, he sometimes avoids answers leaving us to think about what we want which I liked because as readers we don’t need to know every answer. I was nervous to ask a question, but I’m glad I did because I actually got to interact with Yann. When writing my essays I feel like I have to constantly cut words out causing me to have to rewrite, but knowing an author cuts over 31,000 words after their first draft helps me to feel better about rewriting my papers. Yann told us a lot about himself and his childhood which helps us be able to relate to him as a human. I enjoy both books even more now that I know the mastermind behind them. Yann is a great guy and had amazing answers to give to us on zoom. The meeting with Martel was definitely an effective tool for us students to learn from and a great experience for us all.
I found it to be very compelling that Yann Martel likes looking outward instead of inward when he writes. I believed many of his characters and ideas were based out of his own life, so this is almost the opposite of what I thought. He projects not himself, but his curiosity. Martel also talked about his developmental process when writing, and I believe it is a solid, effective one to follow. First, he decides on the thematic ideas and concerns for his writing to be about. This is also my first step, because the message that sticks with the reader is the most vital. He follows with the story, and then decides how his characters will be developed.
Having this chance to chat with Yann Martel not only allowed me insight into an author's life, but actually inspired me as a writer. When he explained that we need to talk about things in a different way, I resonated with that. I am all about standing from multiple perspectives, and what sparks an understanding in one person may be entirely different than for another person.
I admire how he accepts readers' different interpretations of his writing, and takes time to get to know how his writing ties into their life. For example, Martel shared that in different letters, reader spoke about Richard Parker being their cancer or their past trauma.
This definitely was a beneficial experienced and provided me new ideas about what it means to compose and to be an author.
Yann Martel is a really nice and cool guy. I think it's pretty cool that I was able to talk to the author of Life of Pi which is a popular book and movie. I never thought I would be interested in talking to a famous author but he was an interesting guy to listen to. He has some very interesting thoughts and motivations behind what he writes. One interesting thing I took away from listening to Martel was him talking about the Holocaust and war. He said that wars are easy for people to talk about and kids even use their imaginations to play "war" even though some wars have killed more people than even the Holocaust. He said that the Holocaust intrigues him because it's awkward to handle which is very true. He said there is a nervousness around the Holocaust which makes it harder to talk about whereas people don't feel that way about wars and I think that is a very interesting and true point. This helps me understand Beatrice and Virgil a little bit better and why he wrote about what he did.
It was a great opportunity to watch and listen to Yann Martel speak to us today. As I had imagined, he was full of great wisdom and was not shy to answer any questions we had. The question I was most surprised to hear his answer to was how and when he decides to emerge himself in his novels. His answer was that he rarely ever involves himself in his writing. He doesn't write to look on the inside and focus on himself, rather because he is curious about new things and wants to know more. It is very generous of him to communicate with our classes and take time out of his day to chat with us and give us some more insight about him. After finishing the two novels, Life of Pi, and Beatrice and Virgil, it is clear to see that he has had a lot of experiences to get him where he is today and he is a great writer. His novels had me locked in the whole time and I did not want to stop reading. I am very thankful that we were able to zoom with him today given the situation that we are not physically in school.
It was interesting to listen to Yann Martel speak about his books and how he developed the characters in them. He gave us an in-depth view of how he developed the characters and where they came from. Being able to ask him one of my own questions was fun because I was able to have one of the things that I found interesting straight from the author instead of just having to speculate about his motives. With this, I was able to get the actual get the correct answer. We also learned that Martel is, in fact, Henry and that the book Beatrice and Virgil is the flipbook that was written in it.
It was super cool to listen to Yann Martel today. I really enjoyed hearing about where he has all travelled and how that has impacted him and his writing. I also liked how each of the answers he gave us very in-depth and detailed. He answered each question perfectly with interesting viewpoints. I have realized that he is a very modest writer and doesn't like to brag about his accomplishments like other successful people do. He even talked about his new book that he is writing and how he deleted so many words. That kind of stuck out to me because it shows that his books are really important to him and he wants them to be perfect for the readers. He knows a lot about what he is writing about due to all the research that he does. I think that shows that he is a very dedicated writer.
I thought it was super fun and cool that we got to talk to Yann Martel today. I liked hearing about how he put together all of his books and the things that made him choose to write the way he did. It was interesting to hear about how he traveled a lot and that was his main motivation for writing the novels, along with curiosity. I thought it was cool how he talked about his new book, getting a glimpse and a little background on that and how he had to read an entire other book just to write one page of his. He is really good at speaking and the words really just flow, so I feel like writing a book for him is very relaxing. The way he talks about his novels shows how dedicated he is about writing, he puts so much research into his books and I think that shows how much he really cares about making his novels the best. I think this was a great opportunity to listen to him today.
It was very enlightening to hear an author talk about their work, having never really listened to an author before. Listening to Martel's thought process when writing a book was simply fascinating. When answering a question Martel always had something to say and would go in-depth and reveal more than what the question asked for. Martel's stories and history behind his inspiration in writing engrossed me as was able to establish his points with relative ease. I felt this meeting with Martel was important in understanding the process an author goes through when composing a novel. Martel saying he scrapped 30,000 words from the novel he is working is a good insight to this process.
Listening to Yann Martel was one of the most interesting things I have ever been lucky enough to be apart of. It was really interesting to listen to how purposefully unpurposeful he was about writing his novels (and get some really great insight into his upcoming novel!). I really liked hearing his reasonings behind certain choices for his novels and admired his attention to details; however, it was also very interesting to hear him talk about how curiosity fueled his novels and how his interests shaped his creative ideas. His knowledge on the topics relevant in his novels is boundless, it seemed like he could have talked about nuances of religions all day. I also enjoyed his appreciative and down-to-earth nature (noticing my cat tree and the weather) and it made me appreciate the fact although he is a famous author, he is also a just a guy who majored in philosophy who let life take him on his path.
Having Yann Martel talk to us was an experience I will not forget. I was very surprised to see how open he was with answering questions and how well he was able to answer them. I was surprised to hear him say that he does not include much of his personal life in his books when he puts himself into his books or at least reveals himself to the reader. I find it interesting after reading the reviews of his book Beatrice and Virgil to see how he believes his book should be interpreted. It was very cool to actually know what he was thinking and him comparing many different events that have resulted in millions of deaths. I found it interesting hearing his thought process behind why the holocaust is looked at in black and white while other events like World Wars and such are looked at as more lighthearted. Maybe it is a thing of respect from most but I do not see any disrespect in his work. After hearing him speak I feel as though I understand Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil quite a bit more because he revealed a lot of the thought behind it and what the reader should be noticing. I also thought it was very interesting when he described his writing process, and the part right at the end when he said he had read an entire book to write a mere 3-4 paragraphs (I think) is astounding to me.
I found it very interesting to sit in on the zoom with Yann Martel. Through the way he answered his questions, I could tell that he is a very educated man and knows what he was writing/talking about. He had many cool stories as to why some of the characters are the way they are like Richard Parker and that was cool to see how he came up with those. I liked it when he talked about the holocaust and how he got judged writing a book about it but if it was about a war it would be criticized differently. After hearing him through the zoom I now know way more about the backgrounds of his novels and the thought process he used to come up with them. Overall I enjoyed the zoom and found it interesting.
I very much enjoyed having the opportunity to listen to Yann Martel and understand what he goes through as he writes a book. I thought it was so interesting that both Life of Pi and the book Beatrice and Virgil were based on Martel's curiosity. For Life of Pi, he was curious about religion when he traveled to India and saw all the different religions. For Beatrice and Virgil, Martel was always curious about the Holocaust as a kid and now curious about how people talk about it. I was also really impressed by how much knowledge Martel has. I felt like every question we asked he would give facts about religions or how he knew all the information about the different Richard Parker stories and just everything he knew from his research to write his book. The last thing I will say is I liked learning how he became an author. To me, one of the coolest things is to learn why someone chooses their path in life. To hear that Yann Martel never really planned to be an author and just loved doing it was so cool for me. I also liked how he was so honest saying his first few short stories and novels sucked, but he loved doing it and that's why he kept doing it. I really enjoyed hearing what he had to say and learning from him.
I was a little bit hesitant before joining the zoom call because I have never talked to someone famous before nor used the app "zoom". After joining I am really glad that I was able to hear a lot about what he has to say. Yann Martel is a highly intelligent man who has acquired so much knowledge through his own personal curiosity. Listening to him describe his reasoning for picking a pear instead of an apple or any other fruit was mind-boggling. I figured he just had a pear lying around and found some metaphors and symbolism. I really appreciated Miles's question about Edgar Allen Poe and some of his only novel inspired a little bit of Yann Martel. Yann Martel is someone who stays true to his values yet keeps an open mind. I want to read his book called "self" and his new book relating to the Trojan war. Another thing I found funny was how he described how he became an author. He basically summarized that authors are just people who never stop playing make-believe. Overall, I am very impressed by this author and I will gladly continue to read his books int he future.
Listening to Yann Martel speak was truly a privilege and an awesome experience to be a part of. He's a very interesting man with lots of engaging stories and information. I feel like Yann could have talked for hours if he was able to. The most interesting thing I thought about when he spoke was the coincidence of Richard Parker and sinking ships. There were 3 separate occasions in history and literature of a person named Richard Parker that was aboard a sinking ship. On another note, I think it's incredible how much he knows about religion even though he grew up without religion. Especially in Life of Pi, he wrote countless pages about different gods and religious references that went right over my head. Also, he mentioned that he read an entire book for just 3 paragraphs of his novel. It just goes to show how much work and effort goes into writing a book. Lastly, I found it very creative for Yann to choose of a pear for Beatrice and Virgil. Most people, including me, would pick any random fruit and start describing it but he went through a mental process of choosing a fruit that was unique, tasty, and difficult to describe. In conclusion, Yann Martel is an interesting man with a lot to say and he seems to be a reliable resource for information. I was just glad to be part of the Zoom call and experience him for myself.
Listening to Yann Martel speak with us today was interesting and very enlightening. I was shocked about how much research he does to just be able to write a little section for his novel and how many words he has taken out of his novel already. I was also surprised that he writes his novels about what interests him. I feel most authors would want to write about what their readers are interested in so they could sell more copies of their work. Overall it was a great opportunity to have Yann Martel answer our questions and learn more about him.
Listening to Yann Martel’s talk and share his wisdom with our class was truly a breathtaking experience from his elaborate responses to our questions. Over the past couple of months, we have been able to study Yann Martel and his novels, I have also done some research of my own on him and to hear his stories made the personality that I had created for Yann truly came to life with the stories that he told us today. It was really interesting with his responses that he gave back to our questions, the responses were really elaborate and extremely intellectual. I also had the honor of asking Yann the question on what was his motive for involving himself in the novels with the creation of Henry in Beatrice and Virgil and with the italicized chapters in Life of Pi. He gave me a very elaborate response that answered my question and much much more. His response allowed me to see why authors write what they write and what their motivation is behind it as well. I also love how he does so much research on everything that he writes. With the story of how he read and dissected an entire novel just to write three paragraphs in his book and in the end, he ended up taking that section out. But it is also really cool how he chooses the names of the animals in Life of Pi, for example how Richard Parker got his name and why he is a tiger. He had many other examples of that but that was the first that came to my mind. One other thing that I found really interesting and puzzling was towards the end of our zoom chat and that was that he had to cut 31,000 words out of his book and all of that hard work was flushed right down the toilet. But in the end, it was truly a breathtaking experience that I will remember for the rest of my life and I learned a lot today from the great Yann Martel.
It was an amazing opportunity to hear Yann Martel speak about his books and to be able to hear his responses to the questions asked. I happened to take a couple of notes on things that he said that stood out to me personally. For example, his explanation for Games for Gustav was that someone shouldn't have to understand hundreds of years of history to know that what happened in the Holocaust was terrible, and this format did a wonderful job of portraying that. Even after reading both Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil, I was still confused on why he chose to use animals as his main focus for getting the theme across. It was nice for him to clear up his thinking that many people would have prior biases towards humans in a story, and those biases would have to be won over, whereas many people do not have preconceived notions of animals. His explanation of why he used a pear was also something that struck me as quite brilliant. He used a fruit that everyone knows in principle but maybe not everyone has tried. He also explained that a ripe pear is harder to come by than some more common fruits. As someone who plans to major in English next year, I also paid more attention to some of the things he explained about being an author. I took note that he finds cafes to be a wonderfully social place to watch interactions and receive ideas. I also thought it was interesting that his characters come much later in the process of writing his books and that they come out of necessity. His books are often not centered around the characters but they are a very important piece to them. What starts it all is rather the idea or theme and not the characters involved, which he later builds to fit the story itself. I am very glad I took the time to listen to the wonderful questions asked and how Yann Martel answered them. I also hope to maybe look into some of his other books as they seemed rather interesting.
Listening to Yann Martel was a very unique and interesting opportunity I enjoyed it very much. It is crazy to think that he sets time aside every year to talk to kids in Brandon, South Dakota. The answers that he gave to the questions we asked were brilliant. Getting to hear about the behind the scenes of his writing was really cool. I was shocked to hear he has cut out 30,000+ words in his novel. That is insane. Also, it was hard to believe how much research goes into such a little part of the book and then to be just cut out in the end. I also enjoyed hearing about the inspiration behind his books. I know now just how much goes into the pages of a novel.
I thought it was pretty neat that we got to hear and see the person behind the novels we are reading in class. In literature, we have been talking about the author's background and how that plays into how they create their books which I have never done before. I think it really adds layers to a piece of work. I liked the questions asked on how Martel's life played into characters and items in the books. I think in a way it makes it more creative and fun to read because he didn't directly make the book about him. The irony and metaphors he wanted us to study were about deeper understandings of literature, society, and ourselves. The overall impact and lessens of the book would have been lost if it were just about him. I also found it super interesting to hear the thought process of an outstanding author like Martel. I feel that I don't have a very creative writing brain so his thought processes impressed me even more. The attention to small details, like choosing a pear over an apple, is what sets Martel's work apart. One thing I thought a lot about after the Zoom meeting was how much time and effort Martel must have put into research. In order to create a cohesive and witty novel, he needed to be well prepared with knowledge of his characters. He had to research everything like huge topics such as the Holocaust to the biology of a howler monkey. I think my favorite observation was a point that Jessica B. brought up in her question: the howler monkey's terrible shriek is the collective sound of grief from the Jews. That small detail of one sound is so genius of Martel. Today's Zoom meeting was super cool and definitely worth every minute!
Yann Martel was a very interesting man, from some of his jokes that he referenced like "madman" in office and "It wasn't written on their forehead, but I'm pretty sure they were gay" really startled me when he said it as I wasn't expecting him to say it! But other more relevant reflections to the topic at hand, his discussion as to why he chose a pear as his fruit of interest, not just because of its oddity in shape, hardness, and sweetness but because its a fruit everyone in the audience could presumably know what it looks like but in actuality have probably never seen a locally grown pear, not from the supermarket, I assume things like a dragon fruit or a durian could have filled this spot as well. Also his comparisons of talking about war versus the holocaust a thought provoked, we have war fanatics who collect war memorabilia and memorize war facts and statistcs—but no person would proudly display they were a Holocaust Fanatic (unless they are hardcore Nazi, I suppose)—which is a very unique way to look at the topic. Meeting him was an interesting opportunity that I'm glad the coronavirus shutdowns didn't spoil—he provided some good laughs and some deeper meaning to some of the topics in his books.
It was awesome to have the opportunity to hear Yann Martel speak. It was my first time listening to an author and I took away a lot from it. Martel answered each question we had with great intelligence and openness. His responses were very elaborate and you could tell he took great pride in his writing. He went very in-depth with each answer, often spending 10-15 minutes on a question. It was very cool to have the questions we've had all semester answered by Martel himself. I especially liked learning why he put certain animals/objects into his writing. His explanations of why he used Richard Parker in Life of Pi and a pear in Beatrice and Virgil were very intriguing. This was an experience that I am excited to tell people about and it is certainly something I will never forget. I am very appreciative of Martel for taking the time to speak with us.
I am extremely grateful we were all granted the opportunity to converse with Yann Martel. It was an experience I have never endured before. Having a discussion with the author of two exemplary novels that we read was truly enlightening. Though I did not ask questions, the questions my classmates asked were those I would have probably asked myself. It felt like my questions were answered and more. Hearing him talk about the thought processes that came into writing his novels such as his inspirations, ideas, and research was intriguing to hear about. One topic that stuck out to me was when he described why he chose the howler monkey and donkey, in particular, to add to Beatrice and Virgil. I never would have realized the parallels between them and the Jews that he mentioned. Within novels, authors have reasoning for everything they add, and the reader may not discover everything. Another being the meaning behind the names Erasmus and Mendlesome. Speaking with Martel, we were able to obtain information on the novel that we could not have found ourselves. It was also quite fascinating to listen to him speak on his inspiration for his novels such as the religion in India, his interest in the Holocaust, along with his intensive research on every topic covered in his novels. Yann Martel is truly a literary genius. Hearing him speak, I quickly realized his passion and hard work he puts into his stories, and I am glad I was able to listen to him speak about it.
Having the opportunity of hearing Yann Martel speak about his novels and various other topics was quite a compelling experience. There is no doubt that he is one of the most intellectual people I’ve ever had the chance to listen to. The amount of research and thought he puts into his writing is absolutely astounding. Practically no details in his novels are inserted without reason. His process with writing the Life of Pi was something I personally thought was very intriguing. Learning that there wasn't originally going to be a tiger on the boat with Pi, but rather it was going to be an elephant or rhinoceros was a plot point that I didn't expect. Along with that, the fact that Martel discovered three different Richard Parkers in history and made ties between all of these figures and the tiger in Life of Pi was something that must have taken hours of time to construct. His extensive responses to questions that seemingly could have been answered in a sentence or two were what probably amazed me the most. It’s unbelievable how much Martel knows and how much he has been able to experience around the world. His outlook on life is very refreshing and his morals are strong. It’s somewhat rare to come across a person as genuine as Martel nowadays so getting the privilege of observing his thought process for an hour or so was something that I won't take for granted.
It was amazing to be able to get the insight of a famous author of two prestigious novels. Throughout the meeting, I took notes and interpreted what Yann Martel was saying, so I would like to share my thoughts:
Although there are a few aspects of himself in the stories, he likes to be inventive and look outwards, meaning he doesn’t include his own life in the books. He didn’t really base the Life of Pi characters off of people he has in his own family/life—all of the characters were his inventions. Concerns of the characters usually come later in his writing process and focus on themes more towards the beginning. He traveled a lot and wasn’t too religious growing up; when traveled to India you could see all of the religious aspects and it is a very religious country that inspired him to use India in Life of Pi. Curiosity lead him to ideas of what to write and research for his novels. Yann Martel originally wanted to do a flipbook for his Beatrice and Virgil novel, but he took the editors' suggestions to combine fiction and nonfiction; he said he still has a small regret about not doing the flipbook.
He uses animals because it gets rid of the prejudices that humans have and think while reading about other humans. We know our own species so using animals keeps us open-minded when reading, and animals tend to intrigue the reader more.
Yann Martel loves all of his books like his children, but his favorite book he has written is Self.
These were just a few of the many topics Yann Martel touched on and intrigued me while listening. I am truly grateful I was able to experience meeting him this afternoon.
The meeting with Yann Martel was an amazing experience. It was helpful for me in knowing more of his personality and hearing a voice to connect with the books. I can definitely see how he inputs his own personality into the characters and even narrators. The thing that impressed me the most was the amount of research he does for his books. During the meeting, he talked about his new upcoming book. A thing that stood out to me was how he said he read an entire book to write three paragraphs, which he ended up deleting. Also, getting to know his thoughts on his novels was interesting. He shared with us how some of the characters went through things based on his own personal experiences, but not always, which was a connection we liked to make. I really liked how he explained the metaphors in the book, Life of Pi, and how it can be placed on a lot of different situations. I appreciate him going into such depth with each question we asked, and the meeting helped me see the book in a better light.
Being able to listen and learn from Yann Martel face to face was truly an incredible experience. He is such a compelling author and having the opportunity to hear his inspirations and ideas (in which some failed) was absolutely amazing. I thought it was extremely interesting when Martel said his first inspiration for Life of Pi was to use an elephant as Pi’s companion rather than a Bengal tiger. If an elephant was on the lifeboat with Pi, I feel like the story would have had a completely different dynamic as well as the other animals he was considering. It was interesting to learn why Martel chooses to use animals as characters rather than humans, and why he chooses the animals he does. He puts so much thought into all of his work, which is truly inspiring for us students. Martel’s perseverance as an author is very visible, he is not simply writing a novel at his desk, he is doing years of research and traveling to perfect his novels. I have a lot of respect for Yann Martel and cannot wait for the publishing of his next book.
Today for about an hour I got the brilliant opportunity to hear the brilliant author, Yann Martel, speak to our class. I personally did not ask him a question, however, it was still a great opportunity to listen to his answers. I thought that this experience was something that is almost once in a lifetime thing being able to talk to such a great experienced author. I thought that he seemed like a really nice down to Earth guy. I thought that his answers made lots of sense and I found it very interesting. For example, how he would write each book based on something that he was interested in. Such as his curiosity about religion in Life of Pi and how the holocaust is through Beatrice and Virgil. I thought that it is very kind and nice for him to take time out every year to talk to our students and answer questions about his stories and tell us about himself and his inspiration. I thought that it was really cool that he likes to travel the world and does that to get inspiration for his stories. I wish to one day travel the world to see all the different and unique aspects that this world has to offer. It is crazy how much information that he adds to his stories and how much research he has to do. I did have a little computer issues so at times it would lag for me a little bit but overall, this was a very good experience and I enjoyed hearing what he had to say! I can't wait until he releases the new book that he has been working on and see if it is just as good as his other works!
I thought that being able to talk to Yann Martel was an amazing experience. Being able to actually listen to him and for some of my peers to ask him questions that they had was amazing. This was really a once in a lifetime opportunity. Not many people get to have experiences like what we had today. I really liked how he was open about the questions, we really learned more about him and how he writes. I found it interesting how he becomes inspired to write books. He writes books on what he is curious about. I found that really interesting and eye-opening. After listening to him today I can really see how he puts himself into his books, like his writing experiences in "Beatrice and Virgil". All I really can say is how lucky we were to talk to him and get his input on our questions. Also, I am really excited about his next book, because I am a huge fan of ancient Greece so I will definitely keep my eye out for that.
Listening to Yann Martel speak about his tremendous works of poetry was something that was quite awe-inspiring and an overall cool experience. It's not every day you get to meet not only a person as smart as Yann but also as talented. I really liked how in-depth he went into his answers as well as how articulate he was with his words. You could tell whenever he answered a question, he said exactly what he meant to say. One thing that I learned from Yann was about all the other religions out there and learning there ways. For example, I had no idea that people of the Jewish faith tended to be more progressive than other religions. Something I would've never figured out. Plus I really like in one of his answers that his books are more about what he's curious. How Life of Pi was inspired because he was curious about religion or how Beatrice and Virgil was inspired because he was curious about the Holocaust. Things like that were really cool. Overall an experience I will not forget.
It was a very unique experience to hear Yann Martel speak to us, and answer my question. He seems like a very interesting man who has a lot to say. Getting to speak to him personally is an opportunity I will most certainly never forget. For being a best selling author, he was surprisingly down to Earth and very humble, he never even once mentioned it. He had many interesting things to say, including the reasons why he wrote Beatrice and Virgil and Life of Pi, which was simply because he was curious. He elaborated on every response, taking at least 5 minutes to answer every question. That showed he was very invested and interested in what we actually had to say, which was very cool to witness.
Mr. C, I didn't see there was a deadline for the response in the blog task. If I can still get the extra credit that is great, otherwise here is what I took away and gained from the zoom.
It is great that Yann Martel takes the time to do that with each class every year, it is a very cool experience. He seems like a very interesting man with a passion for history and travel. Then he likes to relate these things into his books. I liked how genuinely nice he seemed also, just from the way he talked and what he talked about, and how he approached things it seemed like he is a very nice person. My favorite answer he had was when he was asked about the characters Beatrice and Virgil and how he came about a howler monkey and a donkey. After he said that they were each meant to be a positive stereotype of the Jewish religion, I was kinda lost for words because never in a thousand years would I have thought of that. Also, I found it very interesting at the end when he was talking about the new book. I cannot imagine cutting 30,000 words, that is insane to me. The research that authors have to do for such tiny sections of books is fascinating as well. He said that he read an entire book for three paragraphs and then ended up cutting the paragraphs. This increases my respect for Yann and other authors as a whole for the work they do. The best thing I took away from the zoom was Yann's advice on when he was first becoming an author. I really liked how he explained that you should find something you enjoy and try to build off that as a career even if you see it going nowhere. If that does not work, he said to try something else because it will all work out, in the end, one way or another.
Yesterday's experience of getting to sit back and listen to my classmates pick his brain was quite interesting. I think that it a very cool thing when you can have a celebrity/best-selling author in that type of environment. I thought that it was very cool, how he can take time out his day just to talk to some impressionable high school kids. The fact that he was such a humble and down to Earth person was also very cool to me. I also think another interesting part of what he had to say, was that when he was talking about three paragraphs that he wrote, he read a whole book just to write those paragraphs. And as he went on with this story, he proceeded to delete those three paragraphs. So it was interesting to hear that such a successful man was doing so much research to write such a little part of the story, just to go on and delete it. That was my biggest take away from yesterday. That the amount of preparation directly reflects the quality of your work. And we have all had this instilled into our brains since a young age, but to hear it from somebody like that, it really puts things into perspective. No matter what level you are at, you have to start with the simple things, to take on whatever task you have at hand.
I thought the Zoom call with author Yann Martel was a great experience and an amazing opportunity to get more insight into his books and the reasons behind them. I thought that he was very generous to take time out of his day to answer our questions and give us background information and I am very grateful that we were able to call him. I think one of the most interesting takeaways for me was his view on religions. India's culture, religion, and customs are all things that I find unique and puzzling and I loved to hear more about it from such a great author who has studied those things. I think his reasoning behind using things such as a tiger or a pear are things that most readers often overlook, and I from reading other books I don't think other authors take the time or dedication to think of how an animal or fruit will reflect in a readers mind. Another thing that I heard from Martel that I found interesting was how long it can take to write a book, and how much editing can go into it. I can't believe that he would delete 30,000 words from his text, especially when three paragraphs took a whole book of research to write. I think the amount of dedication Yann Martel has for his craft is inspiring.
I thought that the meeting with Yann Martel was very interesting, and gave us insights in to his writing. It was riveting to hear about his purpose for writing Life of Pi, and hearing his story about the Hindu man in India. It surprised me that originally he wanted to write about an elephant or a rhinoceros. Also, I had no idea about the origins of the name Richard Parker. I also was surprised by the sheer amount of writing he was taking out of his new novel. I had no idea that books are trimmed down so much before they are published. I also liked hearing him talk about Beatrice and Virgil, and how critics thought of it. He was definitely a cool guy to talk to, and I very much enjoyed listening to him talk about his work and his opinions. Hearing him speak made me realize just how intelligent and passionate he is about his writing.
I thought the Zoom meeting with Yann Martel was a great experience. I have never talked to a famous writer face to face like that. I really liked how he was open to answering any questions that we had. I thought it was interesting that each of his books started from something he was curious about. Something that I was surprised about was that he didn't start writing until his early 20s. I would've thought that such a great writer would have always been writing. Overall, this was a great experience and I'm glad that I got to talk face to face with Yann Martel.
After reading the two fantastic and luminously written novels by Yann Martel titles Life of Pi and Beatrice and Virgil, I was given the opportunity to attend a video chat. During this video chat, Yann Martell was questioned by my peers on certain topics throughout his books that interested them. Having the ability to listen to a well thought, and brilliant author such as Martel is an opportunity that not many students ever get the chance to do; therefore, all of my interest was focused on Martel—his answers and thoughts were very thought-provoking. One question asked about how Martel integrated himself into his novels—specifically in his relations to the main characters in his novel titled Beatrice and Virgil. Answering this question, Martel stated that he doesn't attempt to write his novels from an autobiographical standpoint—granted this is a fiction novel—but he does at times include modest fragments from his life and the people who surround him in his life. One very interesting and eye-opening segment of this zoom session focuses on a question on the parallels between Life of Pi and Edgar Allen Poe's sole novel titled, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Each novel contained a character named Richard Parker, a tiger, and a seafaring tale of survival; in fact, Martel stated that when choosing the name for the tiger in his novel, he used Poe's novel in accordance with a couple other works which all referenced the name, Richard Parker. Overall, this opportunity to listen to the thoughts and questions of my classmates and Yann Martel was incredible, and I hope that further down the road I may get another opportunity to speak to more brilliant minded authors such as Martel. Being thankful for this occasion, I am interested to read the next novel Martel had stated that he was writing during our video chat, and hope that younger students also get a chance to meet this brilliant, kind, and unique author.
Yann Martel was very nice and very polite. I loved that he answered the call from his wife; I thought that that was really funny and sweet. Whenever we would ask him a simple or short question he was able to come up with a very long and elaborate answer for us that not only answered the question being asked, but also answered many other things. He is obviously very generous considering he took time out of his day to video chat with a group of 80+ high school students. I am so happy that I actually was able to speak to a good and well-known author. You can tell he is a writer because he is able to go on and on with ease and he can talk in a way that makes you want to continue listening and makes me feel like I am reading one of his books. Thanks Mr. C
Getting to see the mastermind behind these incredible books was such a great opportunity. I am extremely grateful that Mr. Yann Martel gave our senior class his time to answer our questions. Martel really seemed to enjoy answering our questions and talking to us about his work. The fact that he still made arrangements to speak with us during these difficult times shows how dedicated he is to the people who appreciate his work. He is humble but proud of his great work and from what I was able to see, he seems like a nice person. My favorite part of the zoom call was when he answered Avery's question about his inspiration for writing Life of Pi. Learning his backstory and his growing up and how influential traveling around the world was fascinating to me. Most of all I liked that each of his novels started by him being curious about a topic. This was truly a great experience to hear from Yann Martel.
I thought it was a very neat experience to be able to zoom with Yann Martel after reading a couple of his books. He seems like a very personable guy and was also quite funny throughout the session. I also noticed how he doesn't really hold anything back when he is speaking, whether he was talking about Donald Trump or Jews. I thought it was funny when he was talking about both of those topics. I also thought it was very interesting listening to all of the stories and the ways that a few of his characters are developed or how they got their names, and also how much research he does, not only for a whole book but even for those 3 paragraphs of his new book that he ended up cutting anyways. It makes you realize how determined you have to be in order to be in his position. Adding onto that, I think the amount of research he does for his stories is incredible, He was telling us about how he really studied tigers hard, how he read on them and even went to zoos to study them, and the pure determination he has to make his books the best they can be is amazing. I also believe he was there to actually talk to us and not just pass the time by for you. The way he took his time thoroughly answering every question proved that he really cared. The one thing that did really stick out to me like you already said is how in the end he said: "see you next year, Matt." I thought that was very cool, and just is another reason why he is such a personable guy.
I think that the zoom meeting with Yann Martel was very interesting. Getting to know why he wrote what he did and what was going through his mind was insightful. My favorite part was when he talked about why he chose the pear as a fruit instead of anything else like an apple. I liked it when he mentioned that you can get an apple anytime but pears are only good during a specific time, or when he talks about how the pear is a soft fruit, unlike most other fruits. Another thing that stood out to me is how persistent he is. I think that it helps him in his writing. He talks about how the first book of Beatrice and Virgil was a flipbook and the editors didn't like it; however, he pushes what he wants through and compromised to make the editors happy. One last thing that stood out to me is that he didn't study writing in college. He spent his time studying something else and only used writing as a backup. He didn't even start writing until he was older. Most famous authors we know studying writing, and start writing when they are younger. I think that Yann Martel is a very cool dude. It was nice to get to chat with him and get a more clear answer about what the books meant to him.
The Zoom meeting was interesting and informative. Through speaking with him we can now delve deeper in than before. I actually reread the entire book today and knowing what we do now compared to what we were assuming or thinking before the difference is incredible. For example, unknowingly he answered one of my questions by answering another question explaining the reasoning behind the names of Henry's pets. Another question that I feel relatively safe in assuming I now know the answer deals with when he plays the clarinet. He most likely picked Mozart because when we think of classical composers he is one of the first people think of and his works are very well known. Most people, when asked to list a classical composer, would most likely say Mozart first. I loved how we learn the reasoning behind the flipbook and not only that but how he nods in the book to the fact that Beatrice and Virgil was originally supposed to be a flipbook. We learned where his inspiration comes from, his curiosity about certain subjects. The connections we learned about alongside the ones we already knew of were incredible. For example, the name Richard Parker coming from a real-life story and a novel by Edgar Allen Poe. We also learned of the different animals Martel went through before settling on a tiger. The struggles Martel talked about at the end about the difficulty of being a writer were eye-opening. The fact that he read an entire book for three paragraphs that ended up getting cut would be devastating to some, yet he mentions it and keeps moving on with no hesitation. This opportunity was something that I loved having the chance to participate in.
It was a very cool experience to be able to talk with such a brilliant writer also how he incorporated some of the ideas into the books the way he did. In the book Beatrice And Virgil, he incorporated the pear as a fruit. The reason he chose a pear was that it is hard to come across such a good pear and I found that amazing how he comes up with the ideas. Also at the very end of the zoom, he said how he just took out 31,000 words in three days. That blows my mind how did that. Also, he read an entire book just to write three paragraphs.
It was amazing to be able to hear and talk with Yann Martel himself! I loved being able to grab inside information about the intentions for his books and the messages he wanted to be conveyed. One of the most interesting insights I learned was about where the character Richard Parker came from. As Miles asked about Edgar Allen Poe's story with Richard Parker as a character, Martel shared about how that was where he originally got the tiger's name in his book Life of Pi. I also found it interesting to learn about his intent for each of the animals he chose in his book. He talked a lot about how the howler monkey connected to what he would imagine the reactions of the Jewish people during the Holocaust would be. Towards the end of the call, Martel spoke about his struggles as a writer both in the past with previous books and the present with his newest book he's writing. He was very open to sharing about the process of writing one of his books and the tedious work that goes into it. This was truly eye-opening to hear about how tiresome and devasting the process can be. Overall, I am beyond thankful for the experience to have gained wisdom from such an articulate writer and even better individual.
Yann Martel is a very thoughtful, and wise individual. He has widespread knowledge and has a gift for sharing it in interesting and informative ways. Listening to him speak about his novels was enjoyable and thought-provoking. I could hear the passion in his voice and could practically see the gear turning when he thought back on the processes he used when constructing his novels. It was interesting to me how this was his way of sharing his thoughts, emotions, and expressing himself. It made me think of how everyone expresses themself differently and how so many people have different things to share. I really enjoyed the zoom meeting!
I thought it was a pretty cool experience to be able to talk to the actual author about a book that is so widely known. He has such a wide range of knowledge and getting to hear feedback from him was great. He had such passion when he was speaking and could elaborate well on our questions. I could just tell he was really engaged during the Zoom meeting and wanted to give us educated answers. It was also interesting to hear a little about his backstory and where he came from. He seems like he has a cultured background and has experienced many different lifestyles which I think makes him a very humble person. Overall I thought it was a great experience and glad I participated.
When zoom chatting with Yan Martel, I thought it was a really cool experience to be able to see what he has to say about what he wrote in both of the books that we read of his. He has a lot of interesting answers that made you think a lot more about the questions that were asked and brought up questions on top of those questions. He is a very smart individual with a lot of knowledge and passion for what he is talking about. I am super happy I joined the zoom chat and was able to see what his viewpoint is on his books and other things in general that related to his books. I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to have talked and been able to listen to his answer to all of the questions.
Having the opportunity to meet and talk to Yann Martel is an experience I will remember forever. What I loved the most was the fact that Martel went so in depth with his answers to each question. I respect him for going above and beyond to ensure our questions were answered fully. Another point that I found very interesting was that he said he does not write his books about himself. After all of our discussions in class it was agreed upon that Henry was reflected on himself. I think that it was really surprising to see and hear that he doesn't write his book reflecting him or his life. Finally, a respectful point he made was that he reads and researches many books and websites in order to write his books. He mentioned that while writing his newest book he read an entire book in order to write 3 paragraphs. Which he ended up deleting anyways. In total I completely respect Martel and his writing styles, I think that it is interesting to hear his thoughts. I am thankful for this experience as I am sure I will never experience anything like this as well.
I thought that video chatting with Yann Martell was very cool. It is not every day that you get to pick the brain of an accomplished author. I really enjoyed how thoroughly and coherently he gave his answers. He answered all parts of every question in a way that could be easily understood and enjoyed. It was really cool to see that he was a real, normal guy as well. Usually when you see an author's name or hear about someone famous you do not usually get to put the face to the name like we did with Yann. He is a super cool and intellectual dude that I certainly would not mind hearing from again. I think that he has a vast amount of knowledge because he truly enjoys learning new things and conveying it in his writing. Definitely someone that would be a positive influence in life.
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