Yann Martel receives fan mail from Obama
3rd March 2010
Novelist Yann Martel has received fan mail from a famous reader, Barack Obama.
The US president contacted Martel after reading his best-selling novel Life of Pi with his daughter, commenting: 'It is a lovely book - an elegant proof of God and the power of storytelling.'
Martel celebrated the letter in a post on his blog, writing: 'If there was a way of tattooing it on my back, I would.'
He added that Obama's analysis of Life of Pi was 'insightful'.
Martel's blog is devoted to getting the attention of another global leader, Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper.
Over the past three years, the author has sent Harper 76 books in a bid to get him to embrace reading.
However, in his most recent post he said he would be taking a break from the 'book club' to promote his latest novel Beatrice and Virgil.
Instead another Canadian author will be sending Harper some literary treats, although Martel remained tight-lipped on who will be taking his place.
Over the years, Martel has sent the prime minister a range of books which he feels 'expand stillness' including Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.