Who is the author of the novel 'Life of Pi'?

"Life of Pi" is a novel by the Canadian writer Yann Martel, published in 2001. It won the Man Booker Prize in 2002.

About the novel:

• The hero is Piscine Molitor Patel, called "Pi", an Indian boy from Pondicherry (Puducherry), whose father runs a zoo.
• Pi is curious about religion and practises Hinduism, Christianity and Islam at the same time.

When Pi is 16, his family decides to move to Canada with some of their animals. The Japanese cargo ship sinks in the Pacific Ocean.

Pi survives for 227 days in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Earlier, a zebra, an orangutan and a hyena were also in the boat.

At the end, Pi tells a second, more brutal version of the story without animals, and asks the listeners which story they prefer, raising questions about truth, faith and storytelling.

In 2012, it was made into a film directed by Ang Lee, starring Suraj Sharma as Pi, along with Irrfan Khan and Tabu. Ang Lee won the Academy Award for Best Director.

About Yann Martel:

• He was born in 1963 in Salamanca, Spain, to Canadian parents.
• He spent time in India, including Pondicherry, while researching the novel.
• His other books include "Self", "Beatrice and Virgil" and "The High Mountains of Portugal".

Other famous modern novels:

• Ian McEwan: "Atonement" and "Amsterdam" (Booker Prize, 1998).
• Paulo Coelho: "The Alchemist" (1988), originally written in Portuguese.
• Khaled Hosseini: "The Kite Runner" (2003) and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" (2007), set in Afghanistan.

Booker Prize winners (selected):

• 2002: Yann Martel ("Life of Pi").
• 2008: Aravind Adiga ("The White Tiger").
• 2006: Kiran Desai ("The Inheritance of Loss").

Why not the other options?

• ✗Ian McEwan wrote "Atonement".
• ✗Paulo Coelho wrote "The Alchemist".
• ✗Khaled Hosseini wrote "The Kite Runner".