Yann Martel

photo by Prphotos.com

Place of Birth: Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain

Date of Birth: 25 June, 1963

Ethnicity: French-Canadian

Yann Martel is a Spanish-born Canadian author. His published works are The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, Self, Life of Pi, Beatrice and Virgil, 10 Letters to a Prime Minister, and The High Mountains of Portugal. Life of Pi won the Man Booker Prize and was adapted into the 2012 film.

Yann was born in Salamanca, the son of Canadian parents, Nicole (Perron) and Émile Martel, who was a diplomat, writer, and university lecturer. His father won the Governor General’s Award for French-language poetry in 1995, for his poetry collection Pour orchestre et poète seul. Both of Yann’s parents were French-Canadian; his father was born in Amos, Québec. They were studying at the University of Salamanca at the time. Some of Yann’s origins are in Rouen, Normandy, France. Yann was raised in Coimbra, Portugal; Madrid, Spain; Fairbanks, Alaska; San José, Costa Rica; Paris, France; and Ottawa, Ontario and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, while his parents were in the Canadian foreign service and his father taught at universities. He finished high school in Port Hope, Ontario.

He has four children with his partner, British-born writer Alice Kuipers.

Yann’s paternal grandfather was named Émile Martel.

Yann’s paternal grandmother was named Carmelle Bourgault.

Yann’s maternal grandfather was Emile Perron (the son of Theophile Perron and Marie-Philomene Rouleau). Emile was born in East-Broughton. Theophile was the son of Jean-Baptiste Perron and Anathalie Jacques. Marie-Philomene was the daughter of Pierre Rouleau and Philomène Bilodeau.

Yann’s maternal grandmother was Euchariste Dodier (the daughter of Jean-Evangeliste Dodier and Odelie Perron). Jean-Evangeliste was the son of Hilaire Dodier and Marie-Adele Vallee. Odelie was the daughter of Eugene Perron and Rosalie Cliche.

Source: Genealogy of Yann’s parents – http://www.nosorigines.qc.ca

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