Beatrice and Virgil
Encyclopedia
Beatrice and Virgil is Canadian writer Yann Martel
's third novel. First published in April 2010, it contains an allegorical tale about representations of the Holocaust. It tells the story of Henry, a novelist, who receives the manuscript of a play in a letter from a reader. Intrigued, Henry traces the letter to a taxidermist, who introduces him to the play's protagonists, two stuffed animals—Beatrice
, a donkey, and Virgil, a monkey.
The Globe and Mail reports that Martel received a $2-million advance from Random House
for U.S. rights alone, and that the total advance for worldwide rights was around $3 million, probably the highest ever advance for a single Canadian novel. Martel's earlier novel, Life of Pi
, won the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and sold seven million copies worldwide.
Yann Martel
Yann Martel is a Canadian author best known for the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Life of Pi.-Early life:Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain where his father was posted as a diplomat for the Canadian government. He was raised in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada...
's third novel. First published in April 2010, it contains an allegorical tale about representations of the Holocaust. It tells the story of Henry, a novelist, who receives the manuscript of a play in a letter from a reader. Intrigued, Henry traces the letter to a taxidermist, who introduces him to the play's protagonists, two stuffed animals—Beatrice
Beatrice Portinari
Beatrice "Bice" di Folco Portinari was a Florentine woman known as the muse of the poet Dante Alighieri. Beatrice was the principal inspiration for Dante's Vita Nuova, and also appears as his guide in the Divine Comedy in the last book, Paradiso, and in the last four canti of Purgatorio...
, a donkey, and Virgil, a monkey.
The Globe and Mail reports that Martel received a $2-million advance from Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
for U.S. rights alone, and that the total advance for worldwide rights was around $3 million, probably the highest ever advance for a single Canadian novel. Martel's earlier novel, Life of Pi
Life of Pi
Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age...
, won the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and sold seven million copies worldwide.
Other works by Martel
- Seven Stories (1993)
- The Facts Behind the Helsinki RoccamatiosThe Facts Behind the Helsinki RoccamatiosThe Facts behind the Helsinki Roccamatios and Other Stories is a book of short stories by Canadian author Yann Martel. First published as a paperback by Knopf Canada in the spring of 1993, it garnered little attention outside Canada until 2004, after Martel's award-winning Life of Pi gained...
(1993) - SelfSelf (novel)Self is a novel by Yann Martel. It tells the story of a traveling writer who wakes up one morning to discover that he has become a woman. It was first published by Knopf Canada in 1996.-Plot summary:...
(1996) - Life of PiLife of PiLife of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age...
(2001) - "We Ate the Children Last" (2004)
Further reading
- Martel, Yann. Beatrice and Virgil. Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2010.
- Barber, John. Yann Martel: Lost and found, The Globe and Mail, May 1, 2010.