Save the date! Yann Martel joins the Vancouver Writers Fest on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Tickets will be released soon (date TBA). Make sure to subscribe to our free mailing list to be the first to know when tickets go on sale.
Yann Martel’s 2001 philosophical adventure, Life of Pi, was a runaway global phenomenon—it won the Booker Prize and CBC’s Canada Reads, spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list, and was adapted to an Oscar-winning film and a Tony-winning play. The Canadian author continued to achieve success with Beatrice and Virgil, The High Mountains of Portugal, and now, his highly anticipated fifth novel: Son of Nobody.
Son of Nobody is a brilliant retelling of the Trojan War from two commoners: an ancient soldier and modern scholar. While studying an obscure collection of papyrus fragments, academic Harlow Donne discovers a lost account of the Trojan War. He names the epic poem The Psoad, after its protagonist, a Greek commoner identified as Psoas of Midea, but known to all as son of nobody. The text unlocks echoes of Ancient Greece into the present day, unfolding “a powerful meditation on life, death, and the vanity of human wishes, all illustrated by a poem that would do Homer proud.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)
Don’t miss Yann Martel in Vancouver for one night only, in conversation with award-winning writer and educator Aislinn Hunter, whose most recent book is the bestselling novel The Certainties. Books will be for sale at the event from Book Warehouse, a division of Black Bond Books, with an audience Q+A and book signing after the talk.
We do our best to make our events low-barrier, accessible experiences for our community. A limited number of accessibly priced tickets are available for purchase. To discuss other ways we can make these events more accessible to you, please reach out to us at boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca or 604-681-6330.
About Books & Ideas
Launched in January 2025, Books & Ideas is an event series from the Vancouver Writers Fest, bringing literary talent and thought-provoking conversations to Granville Island—home of the Writers Fest’s celebrated annual literary festival—from January to June. With an intimate theatre venue and a pop-up bar for socializing, attendees are invited to connect more deeply with other members of the local literary community, and meet the esteemed authors who grace the stage, in a modern space for exchanging ideas.
Participants and Speakers
Yann Martel
YANN MARTEL is the author of Life of Pi, the global bestseller that won the 2002 Man Booker Prize and was adapted to the screen in the Oscar-winning film by Ang Lee. He lives in Saskatoon, Canada.
Aislinn Hunter
AISLINN HUNTER is an award-winning novelist, poet, and educator and a former CBC Radio contributor and host. Her most recent book is the best-selling novel The Certainties (Knopf).