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Best-Selling Author and Trent Alum Yann Martel Launches New Book

March 4, 2016

The High Mountains of Portugal hits shelves

Head and shoulders photo of Yann Martel looking at the camera, wearing a blue sweater, with a graphic of a tiger behind him

“I was terrible at writing, at first.  I wrote a bunch of really bad plays and short stories. But I loved playing with language, creating a set, inventing characters. I kept at it and, slowly, I became a writer," explains Yann Martel, Trent alumnus, and now award-winning Canadian author.

The persistence and determination to turn that “terrible writing” into something great, a lesson he learned during his time at Trent, couldn’t be more crystal clear today. With award-winning book, Life of Pi, behind him, Mr. Martel is taking his fans on another adventure in his new book, The High Mountains of Portugal.

Described as "one of Canada's most wildly imaginative writers," Mr. Martel looks back on his Trent experience fondly, remembering: "I liked the smallness of the classes and the accessibility of the professors. It was a very stimulating environment."

Read more about Mr. Martel’s new novel.

Find other stories about: Alumni

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