Self (novel)
Encyclopedia
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
.
. He goes on to explain events from his years in private school (including his parents' death), until he graduates and travels to Portugal
, where he, on his eighteenth birthday, wakes up as a female.
Surprisingly unfazed by her transformation, the narrator concludes her trip and begins university
back in the fictional Roetown. She begins writing, and keeps travel in her life, eventually visiting such places as Spain
and Thailand
, to name a few. She shares romances with a select few — males and females alike. Eventually she gets published, and after graduating, moves to Montreal
, where she gets a job as a waitress while continuing to write. At her job she meets Tito, her final love. But as the novel is nearing a conclusion, she is suddenly rape
d by a vicious neighbour in her secluded apartment and her body reverts to being a male again.
, Ontario
, where Martel was a student at Trent University
.
More critical attention fell upon the book when Martel's second novel, The Life of Pi, won the 2002 Man Booker Prize
.. A reviewer for the Sydney Morning Herald, noting that Martel himself had called the novel "terrible" and expressed a wish that it "disappear", agreed that the work suffered from a "serious crisis of identity", and lacked the power of Life of Pi. The Montreal Mirror went further, calling Self "lame... A pastiche of autobiography and post-modern plot twists, it was haunted by an off-putting tone of smug precociousness." The Toronto Star reviewer objected to Self' s protagonist's "self-satisfied air", but praised the work for its deft touch and compelling narrative. A writer in The Independent described the book's handling of gender change as "crude confusion", while The Hindu described the book as "interesting ideas juxtaposed against not-so-inspiring writing".
to write Self, which was published in Canada in 1996, with a British launch the same November.
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...
. 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
1996 in literature
The year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
.
Plot summary
The narrator, at first male, explains various events from his early childhood, living with a traveling family who finally settle in Ottawa, OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He goes on to explain events from his years in private school (including his parents' death), until he graduates and travels to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, where he, on his eighteenth birthday, wakes up as a female.
Surprisingly unfazed by her transformation, the narrator concludes her trip and begins university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
back in the fictional Roetown. She begins writing, and keeps travel in her life, eventually visiting such places as Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, to name a few. She shares romances with a select few — males and females alike. Eventually she gets published, and after graduating, moves to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, where she gets a job as a waitress while continuing to write. At her job she meets Tito, her final love. But as the novel is nearing a conclusion, she is suddenly rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d by a vicious neighbour in her secluded apartment and her body reverts to being a male again.
Themes
Martel described Self as the crucible of a thematic interest in religious faith that later informed his second work, Life of Pi. Martel also reported in interviews that in writing the book's rape scene he contemplated the relationship between religion and evil: "It made me think about how people live with evil. What interested me in religion is its claim to go beyond the bounds of human existence." Some reviewers noted an autobiographical strand in the book, whose hero is, like Martel, the child of Canadian diplomats and a writer achieving recognition at a young age. It is set partly in PeterboroughPeterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, where Martel was a student at Trent University
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
.
Critical reception
Self was Martel's first novel, and followed the publication in 1993 of The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, his first collection of short stories. The novel, in Martel's own words, initially "vanished quickly and quietly", though it was shortlisted for the 21st Chapters/Books In Canada First Novel Award, then Canada's most valuable first-novel award with a prize of 5,000 Canadian dollars.More critical attention fell upon the book when Martel's second novel, The Life of Pi, won the 2002 Man Booker Prize
Man Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
.. A reviewer for the Sydney Morning Herald, noting that Martel himself had called the novel "terrible" and expressed a wish that it "disappear", agreed that the work suffered from a "serious crisis of identity", and lacked the power of Life of Pi. The Montreal Mirror went further, calling Self "lame... A pastiche of autobiography and post-modern plot twists, it was haunted by an off-putting tone of smug precociousness." The Toronto Star reviewer objected to Self
Publication history
Martel received in 1991 a grant of $18,000 from the Canada CouncilCanada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
to write Self, which was published in Canada in 1996, with a British launch the same November.